Golf club with multi-component construction

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a golf club, and more particularly to a wood-type club head with a separable body component. In certain aspects, the invention provides a golf club head with a face and hosel body member and one or more of an interchangeable aft body member. The invention further provides a variety of insights and mechanisms for coupling the interchangeable member to the body member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/522,232, filed Oct. 23, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/545,329, filed Jul. 10, 2012, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/185,324,filed Jul. 18, 2011, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,226,499, which is aContinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/696,468, filed Jan.29, 2010, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,964, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/110,733, filed April 21, 2005,now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,658,656, the contents of each of which areherein incorporated by reference in their entirety. U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/545,329 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/539,958, filed Jul. 2, 2012, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/503,509,filed Jul. 29, 2011, the contents of each of which are hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/545,329 is also is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/407,087, filed Feb. 28, 2012, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/643,154,filed Dec. 21, 2009, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,147,354, the contentsof each of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a golf club, and more particularly to awood-type club head with separable components.

BACKGROUND

Historically, an engineer will design a golf club in way that seeks tooptimize multiple properties of the finished club. The engineer willchose a shape and size for a club head based on aerodynamics, PGA rules,manufacturing capabilities, and consumer preferences. Within a clubhead, the engineer will design a mass distribution that provides anacceptable overall compromise of moment of inertia, center of gravity,and weight for the variety of customers who may purchase the club. Oncethe structure of the club head is designed, it will be finished withcolors, surface treatments, logos, and trim in hopes that wide range ofpeople will find the club head attractive. Sometimes a golf company willoffer a club in two or a few different finishes and trim levels, inhopes of appealing to more golfers.

Because a number of properties of a club head are influenced by massdistribution and materials, designing a golf club has traditionally beena one-size-fits-all exercise. While some clubs are offered withadjustable weight members or shafts, many properties such as massdistribution, color, aerodynamics, and turf interaction reflect alowest-common-denominator design paradigm. To offer consumers variety inthese properties, golf companies generally must design an entirely newclub.

SUMMARY

The invention provides a club head with interchangeable components orbody members. Components of the invention can be interchanged manuallyor through the use of tools. In some embodiments, components may beassembled without the use of adhesives, screws, and/or welding.Providing club heads with interchangeable components allows a golfcompany to provide personalized clubs. Each club can be made to appealto an individual golfer, and the qualities of the club can rise to meetthe individual golfer's highest standards, rather than reflecting thelowest-common-denominator found in integrally formed, mass-produced clubheads.

Further, the invention includes the insight that the hosel and a foreportion of the ball-striking area embody core structural functionalityand are well-suited to being provided as a body component to be coupledto interchangeable aft body components. Further, by extending the forebody component or face body component rearwards in the sole area, theaft body components can be provided with light-weight materials such asplastics or composites yielding a desirable distribution of strength andmass within a club head. The connection between the hosel and theball-striking area is strong, and mass is distributed to lower a centerof gravity, optimize a moment of inertia, or both.

Further, the invention adopts the insight that modern club heads maybenefit from releasable functional components, such as weight elementsor face-angle adjusters on a sole, and that these components offer anunexpected benefit in terms of a fastening mechanism forreleasable/interchangeable aft bodies and similar components. Similarly,the invention provides the insight that mechanisms associated withinterchangeable and repositionable shafts can be developed to provide afastening mechanism for an interchangeable component.

In certain aspects, the invention provides a golf club head with a firstbody member and a second body member interchangeably coupleable to thefirst body member at an attachment perimeter to create a playable club.The invention further provides a variety of insights and mechanisms forcoupling the interchangeable member to the body member. For example, afirst body member can include a boss for receiving a releasable shaftand the second body member can include a portion, such as an extendedtab with a shaft screw bore, that is adapted so that the second bodymember is fastened in place by fastening the shaft to the first bodymember. In some embodiments, the first and second bodies are coupled bymating a plurality of posts on one of the two bodies with a plurality ofcorresponding holes on the other of the two bodies.

In some embodiments, the second body member is coupled to the firstthrough the use of a functional component that releasably couples to theclub head. The functional component can be, for example, a weight screwwith a threaded post dimensioned to pass through a hole in the secondbody member and be screwed into a threaded hole in the first bodymember.

A strong club head is provided with good sound characteristics and agood coefficient of restitution by optimizing the distribution ofmaterial between the components. For example, in certain embodiments,the second body member is an aft body member with a majority of a crownof the club head, a majority of a heel-side skirt of the club head, anda majority of a toe-side skirt of the club head. In such embodiments,the aft body couples to the main body to provide a driver. The main bodymember includes a face cup, a hosel, and a majority of a sole of theclub head.

An aft body member can connect to, and separate from, a fore body memberat an attachment perimeter that circumscribes the club head. Forexample, the attachment perimeter can define a “clean break”—i.e., theattachment perimeter can lie substantially within a plane. In someembodiments, the attachment perimeter lies substantially with a planethat is substantially vertical when the club is at address, such thatthe aft body pulls cleanly away from the fore body.

Further, the invention provides attachment lines, or seams, that neednot be straight. The invention includes the insight that non-straightcoupling edges exhibit functional benefits not expected to be found instraight coupling edges. For example, attachment along a wavy edgeensures that two components come together in a proper orientation andgives a user a visual clue as to which components will fit together.

In related aspects, the invention provides a fore body member comprisinga hosel, a portion of a sole, and at least a portion of a ball-strikingface and one or more interchangeable aft body members releasablycouplable to the fore body member by a mechanism. The mechanism caninclude a snap-fit mechanism, such as a cantilever with a protruding tipand a corresponding a recess to receive the protruding tip. In certainembodiments, the mechanism includes barbed posts, adhesives, slots withcorresponding press-fit tabs, magnets, or other suitable mechanisms. Insome embodiments, the invention provides a cam-based mechanism forcoupling the aft body to the fore body.

A cam can provide the leverage needed so that a golfer can manuallycreate a powerful press-fit between two components. In some embodiments,operation of a cam causes engagement hooks to engage with a receivingportion to fasten the aft body member to the fore body member. A cam caninclude a tool engagement surface or can be adapted to be fully manuallyoperated.

In another aspect, the invention provides a kit for assembling a golfclub head. The kit includes a fore body having a hosel, part of aball-striking face, and an attachment mechanism. The kit furtherincludes multiple aft bodies that can be interchanged.

Another aspect of at least one of the embodiments described hereinincludes the realization that it would be advantageous to have a clubhead with a removable insert panels that include materials of differentweights and densities so that different panels can be interchanged todistribute mass differently. This allows weight to be distributed withina club head according to a golfer's individual desires.

In certain aspects, the invention provides a club head in which a bodymember has an opening for a crown insert and an attachment feature (suchas a flange) with a crown insert attached there. The crown insert can bea lightweight material (e.g., plastic). In some embodiments, a crowninsert is divided by strut-like divider elements, which can modulate theclub head physics properties. For example, the dividers may be flexible,non-plastic ribs that divide the crown insert into four plasticsections.

In some embodiments, a club includes a releasably attached weight memberthat can be added or interchanged with one another to adjust the clubhead weight, center of gravity, moment of inertia, or a combinationthereof. The weight members may have threaded posts that can be screwedinto corresponding threaded holes in the club head.

In certain aspects, the invention provides a club head having a bodywith an opening to receive an insert panel. An attachment feature (suchas a flange) at the opening presents a surface for attaching the insertpanel. The surface may optionally have holes on or through it. The holescan increase surface area and thus increase bonding strength of anadhesive used to attach the insert. Alternatively, the insert may have aplurality of protrusions to extend through the holes for attachment(e.g., posts that exhibit a tight press-fit; barbed posts; threadedposts to receive a nut element; etc.). A gasket may be positioned at theflange to dampen vibration or modulate weight.

In some embodiments, the insert is attached to the body by a snap-fitassembly, without the use of adhesives or welding. For example, thesnap-fit assembly can include cantilevers with protruding tips and arecess corresponding to each tip (e.g., cantilevers on body member andrecesses on insert, or vice versa). In some embodiments, the snap-fitassembly includes a collar adapted to be swaged onto a post forattachment and unscrewed with a wrench for removal.

Different inserts can be provided as a set, or as a variety ofindividual items to be purchased at a store, thus allowing a golfer tocustomize their club.

In certain aspects, the invention provides a large wood-type golf clubhead with a concave insert. The club head is formed of a plurality ofbody members that define an interior volume. A first body member is madeof an optionally metallic material and includes a sole portion and aface portion. A second body portion is made of a light weight material,such as plastic, composite, or a very thin sheet of low density metallicmaterial. The second body portion makes up at least a portion of theclub head skirt, and includes one or more concave indentations thatextend into the interior volume of the club head. These indentationsprovide structural integrity to the second body portions, which may bevery thin panels.

The second body member optionally may also include one or more convexbulges that generally extend away from the interior volume. Inserts,such as weight inserts, may be positioned within the convex bulges.Careful positioning of the weight inserts allows the designer to enhancethe playing characteristics of the golf club and tailor the club for aspecific swing type. The first body member may form a large portion ofthe club head sole, and the second body member may form a large portionof the club head crown. This weight positioning further enhances theplaying characteristics of the golf club.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a body member of the golf club head of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a second club head of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the club head of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5A-5C give additional views of the club head shown in FIGS. 3 and4.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a club head with concave component as separable aftbody.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section of the club shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

FIG. 8 is a cutaway view of the club shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

FIG. 9 shows a cutaway view of a club head with separable aft body andcantilevers.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the club head shown in FIG. 9.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a club head with separable aft body fastened byweight members.

FIG. 12 is a cutaway view of the club head shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B.

FIG. 13 shows the aft body of the club head in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 shows a club head with a removable aft sole panel.

FIG. 15 shows components of the club head shown in FIG. 14.

FIGS. 16A-16C show a club head with separable aft body.

FIG. 17 shows a cutaway view of the aft body of the club head in FIGS.16A-16C.

FIG. 18 is a bottom perspective view of a golf club head of theinvention.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 2-2, of the golfclub head of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a top view of the club head of FIG. 18 with a crown portionremoved.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 20, ofthe golf club body member of FIG. 18, with the crown member attached.

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of a plastic crown insert.

FIG. 23 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the crowninsert of FIG. 22.

FIGS. 24 and 25 are embodiments of detail C, shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 26 is a partial view of a club head and insert according to anembodiment.

FIG. 27 shows a club with sole plate.

FIG. 28 is a bottom view of a club head with detachable sole plate.

FIG. 29 shows a sole plate according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 30 is a cross section across the line in FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 illustrates a detachable sole plate fixed into a place with aweight member.

FIG. 32 shows a weight member for fixing a sole plate into place.

FIG. 33 shows a club head configured to receive a sole plate.

FIG. 34 shows a club head with slotted flange and deformable crownpanel.

FIG. 35 shows a club head with slotted flange.

FIG. 36 shows insertion of a deformable crown panel into slotted flange.

FIG. 37 shows a club head with flange with holes.

FIG. 38 shows a crown panel with barbed posts for insertion into holesin a flange.

FIG. 39 shows a cross-sectional view of barbed posts and flange withholes.

FIG. 40 is a side view of a club head and crown panel with barbed posts.

FIG. 41 shows a club head with button tabs and attachable crown panel.

FIG. 42 shows the club head and panel in FIG. 41 assembled.

FIG. 43 shows a club head and sole plate with pre-attached adhesivestrips.

FIG. 44 shows a club head with cage structure and attachable crownpanel.

FIG. 45 is a cross-sectional view of a club head assembled with a rapidfastening system.

FIG. 46 illustrates a method of rapidly fastening a sole plate to a clubhead.

FIG. 47 shows a threaded post for use in a rapid fastening system.

FIG. 48 shows a barbed post for attachment to a hole.

FIGS. 49A-49C illustrates a mechanism of a rapid fastening system.

FIG. 50 shows a hosel/face member and a body member.

FIG. 51 shows the components of FIG. 50 assembled with a rapid fasteningsystem.

FIG. 52 shows a club head with voids and a translucent insert panel.

FIG. 53 shows an opaque insert panel for a club head with voids.

FIG. 54 shows a club head assembled with an insert panel.

FIG. 55 shows a face member and body member with corresponding threadedportions.

FIG. 56 is a top view of a face member and body member with threadedportions.

FIG. 57 shows a club head body with closeable strap and crown panel withgroove.

FIG. 58 shows an assembled club head with crown panel strapped to body.

FIG. 59 is a top view of the club head shown in FIG. 58.

FIG. 60 shows a club head face member with cantilevered posts.

FIG. 61 shows a tool for separating a cantilevered attachment point.

FIG. 62 shows a club head body member with recesses for receivingcantilever tips.

FIGS. 63-66 show configurations of cantilevered posts and recesses.

FIGS. 67A-67C show a club head with component with cam mechanism.

FIG. 68 is a detail view of the cam mechanism of FIGS. 50A-50C.

FIG. 69 illustrates radii around a cam axis.

FIGS. 70A-70D show a club head with cam and engagement hooks.

FIGS. 71A-71B show an engagement member for engagement hooks.

FIGS. 72A-72B show a component coupling system.

FIG. 73 shows a shaft collar for using a coupling system.

FIGS. 74 and 75A-75C show a club head with crown component.

FIG. 76 shows a club head with crown component.

FIG. 77 shows a snap-fit catch for a component.

FIG. 78 shows a club head with a flap component.

FIGS. 79A and 79B show use of a flap component to fasten a club headcomponent.

FIG. 80 shows a club head with removable sole component with magnets.

FIG. 81 is a top view of a boss member with magnet therein.

FIG. 82 is a cross-sectional view of a set of magnet bosses.

FIG. 83 shows an insert panel.

FIG. 84 shows a club head body.

FIG. 85 shows magnets coupling an insert to a club head body.

FIG. 86 is a perspective view of a golf club head of the presentinvention.

FIG. 87 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 2-2, of the golfclub head of FIG. 86.

FIG. 88 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a body member of thegolf club head of FIG. 86.

FIG. 89 is a top view of the body member of FIG. 88.

FIG. 90 is a top view of a body member included in another embodiment ofa golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 91 is a cross-sectional view of a golf club head, taken along aplane generally corresponding to line 6-6 of FIG. 90.

FIG. 92 is a partial cross-sectional view of detail A, shown in FIG. 90.

FIG. 93 is another partial cross-sectional view of detail A, shown inFIG. 90.

FIG. 94 is a top view of another embodiment of a golf club head of thepresent invention.

FIG. 95 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 10-10, of the golfclub head of FIG. 94.

FIGS. 96-102 are partial cross-sectional views of alternativeembodiments of detail B, shown in FIG. 95.

FIG. 103 is a side view of a club head according to certain embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 104 is a cross-sectional view of the club head shown in FIG. 103.

FIG. 105 is a cross-sectional view of a club head according to certainembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 106 is a cross-sectional view of a club head according to certainembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 107 is a detail view of a club head shown in FIG. 95.

FIG. 108 illustrates a seam according to certain embodiments of theinvention.

FIGS. 109-113 each show a flange according to certain embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 114 shows the flange of FIG. 113 with idealized bounding lines.

FIG. 115A is a side view of a club head according to certain embodimentsof the invention.

FIG. 115B is a cross-sectional view of the club head shown in FIG. 115A.

FIG. 116 shows a display for receiving option selections.

FIG. 117 is a block diagram of a method for providing a customized clubhead or golf club according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 118 is a block diagram of a system for providing a customized clubhead or golf club.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Other than in the operating examples, or unless otherwise expresslyspecified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentagessuch as those for amounts of materials, moments of inertias, center ofgravity locations, loft and draft angles, and others in the followingportion of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word“about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with thevalue, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary,the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification andattached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon thedesired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. Atthe very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of thedoctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numericalparameter should at least be construed in light of the number ofreported significant digits and by applying ordinary roundingtechniques.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forththe broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspossible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certainerrors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in theirrespective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges ofvarying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that anycombination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.

FIG. 1 shows a golf club head 801 of the present invention. The clubhead 801 includes a body 810 having a strike face 811, a sole 812, acrown 813, a skirt 814, and a hosel 815. The body 810 defines a hollow,interior volume 816. Foam or other material may partially or completelyfill the interior volume 816. Weights may optionally be included withinthe interior volume 816. The face 811 maybe provided with grooves orscore lines therein of varying design. The club head 801 has a toe T anda heel H.

The club head 801 is comprised of a plurality of body members thatcooperatively define the interior volume 816. In certain embodiments, afirst body member 901 includes a sole portion and a face portion (i.e.,is a fore body member). The first body member may include a completeface 811 and sole 812. Alternatively, either or both the face 811 andthe sole 812 can be inserts coupled to the first body member 901. Theclub head 801 also includes at least one second body member 902 coupledto the first body member 901 along the skirt 814 in known fashion. Thecrown 813 can be unitarily a portion of either body member 901, 902 orit may be an insert coupled to either of the body members 901, 902. Thesecond body member 902 includes a concave portion 820 that, when thebody members 901, 902 are coupled together, extends inward into theinterior volume 816. FIG. 2 shows an isolated view of an exemplarysecond body member 902.

The first body member 901 preferably is formed of a metallic materialsuch as stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium. The material of thefirst body member 901 is chosen such that it can withstand the stressesand strains incurred during a golf swing, including those generatedthrough striking a golf ball or the ground. The club head 1 can beengineered to create a primary load bearing structure that canrepeatedly withstand such forces. Other portions of the club head 801,such as the skirt 814, experience a reduced level of stress and strainand advantageously can be replaced with a lighter, weight-efficientsecondary material. Lighter weight materials, such as low density metalalloys, plastic, composite, and the like, which have a lower density orequivalent density than the previously mentioned metallic materials, canbe used in these areas, beneficially allowing the club head designer toredistribute the “saved” weight or mass to other, more beneficiallocations of the club head 801. These portions of the club head 801 canalso be made thinner, enhancing the weight savings. Exemplary uses forthis redistributed weight include increasing the overall size of theclub head 801, expanding the size of the club head “sweet spot,” whichis a term that refers to the area of the face 811 that results in adesirable golf shot upon striking a golf ball, repositioning the clubhead 801 center of gravity, and/or produce a greater moment of inertia(MOI). Inertia is a property of matter by which a body remains at restor in uniform motion unless acted upon by some external force. MOI is ameasure of the resistance of a body to angular acceleration about agiven axis, and is equal to the sum of the products of each element ofmass in the body and the square of the element's distance from the axis.Thus, as the distance from the axis increases, the MOI increases, makingthe club more forgiving for off-center hits since less energy is lostduring impact from club head twisting. Moving or rearranging mass to theclub head perimeter enlarges the sweet spot and produces a moreforgiving club. Increasing the club head size and moving as much mass aspossible to the extreme outermost areas of the club head 801, such asthe heel H, the toe T, or the sole 812, maximizes the opportunity toenlarge the sweet spot or produce a greater MOI, making the golf clubhotter and more forgiving.

FIG. 2 shows second body member 902, which is preferably light-weight,which gives the opportunity to displace the club head center of gravitydownward and to free weight for more beneficial placement elsewherewithout increasing the overall weight of the club head 801. When thewall thickness of the second body member 902 is at the minimum range ofthe preferred thickness, a reinforcing body layer can be added in thecritical areas in case the member shows deformations. These benefits canbe further enhanced by making the second body member 902 thin. To ensurethat the structural integrity of the club head 801 is maintained, thesethin panels may preferably include a concave portion 820. Inclusion ofthese concave portions 820 allow the second body member 902 to withstandgreater stress—both longitudinally and transversely—without sustainingpermanent deformation, ensuring the structural integrity of the clubhead 801 is maintained. In some embodiments, thicknesses for the firstbody member 901 include from 0.03 inch to 0.05 inch, while thicknessesfor the second body member 902 include from 0.015 inch to 0.025 inch.Preferably, the concave portion 820 displaces at least 10 cubiccentimeters. More preferably, the concave portion 820 displaces at least25 cubic centimeters. While the club head 801 can be virtually any size,preferably it is a legal club head. A plurality of concave portions 820may be used with the club head 801. For example, concave portions 820 ofuniform or varying size may be positioned in the toe, heel, back, etc.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken substantially perpendicular tothe face 811 of a second club head 802 of the present invention. In thisillustrative embodiment, the concave portion 820 is positioned at theback of the club head 802.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the club head 802. The concave portion 820preferably is not visible to the golfer at address. In addition to theconcave portion 820, the second body member 902 further includes aconvex bulge 822 that extends generally away from the interior volume816. An insert 823 may be positioned within the convex bulge.

In certain embodiments, insert 823 is not visible from outside the clubhead 802. In a preferred embodiment, the insert 823 is a weight insert.The convex nature of the bulge 823 allows the weight to be positioned tomaximize the mechanical advantage it lends to the club head 802. Asshown in FIG. 4, the club head 802 may include a plurality of convexbulges 822, such as on a heel side and on a toe side of the club head802. The club designer may place inserts 823 as desired within thebulges 822. The masses of the inserts may be substantially equal.Alternatively, one of the inserts may have a greater mass than theother. This may be beneficial to design the club to correct a hook swingor a slice swing. A preferred mass range for the weight insert 823 isfrom 1 gram to 50 grams.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first body member 901 may comprise a majority ofthe sole 812 and the second body member 902 may include a majority ofthe crown 813. This beneficially removes a large majority of the massfrom the upper part of the club head 802. In this embodiment the firstbody member 901 includes an attachment perimeter 818 that extends aroundits edge. The second body member 902 is coupled to the first body member901 along the attachment perimeter 818. The first and second bodymembers 901, 902 cooperatively define the interior volume 816. Theattachment perimeter 818 preferably may contain a step defining twoattachment surfaces 818 a, 818 b. As illustrated, the second body member902 maybe coupled to both of these surfaces 818 a, 818 b to help ensurea strong bond between the body members 901, 902.

While the body members 901, 902 may be formed in a variety of manners,some embodiments include forming a complete club head shell (first bodymember 901) in known manner and removing material to create openings towhich the second body member 902 can be coupled. The opening may becreated in any desired manner, such as with a laser. The second bodymember 902 may be joined to the first body member 901 in a variety ofmanners, such as through bonding or through a snap-fit in conjunctionwith bonding. If a composite material is used for the concave inserts,molding six plies of 0/90/45/-45/90/0 is preferred.

FIGS. 5A-5C give several views of the club head shown in FIGS. 3 and 4to aid in seeing the relation of a fore body member 901 to aninterchangeable aft body 902 in certain embodiments. In someembodiments, one of the body members includes a protruding flange aroundthe attachment perimeter such that the club head can be assembled with apress fit by simply pressing the two body members together. In otherembodiments, a first and second body member are coupled by a mechanicalfastening system.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show mechanical fastening system adaptable for use in aclub head with an interchangeable or repositionable shaft. Fore bodymember 823 includes a recess 831 in a heel-sole area where a shaftsleeve screw is inserted to engage an end of a shaft.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section of the club shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Theshaft engagement mechanism is primarily provided by fore body member 821and can be seen in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a cutaway view of the club shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Aft bodymember 823 includes a protruding arm 825 with a hole therethrough. Forebody member 821 includes hosel boss 829 and insert boss 827 (i.e., theinside shell of recess 831). When aft body member 823 is mated to forebody member 821, the body members come together to form a club headsubstantially as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, but with recess 831. Arm 825slips between hosel boss 829 and insert boss 827. When a shaft isattached to the club head, a shaft sleeve screw passes through the borehole through arm 825. In certain embodiments, pressing aft body 823 intofore body 821 substantially provides an assembled club head in which thetwo components have a firm attachment to one another via a press-fitattributable to flanges at the attachment perimeter. Assembly of theinterchangeable/repositionable shaft provides an additional securingmechanism to fully fasten the club head together with ample strength towithstand high-impact drives.

A fastening mechanism of the invention can be used alone or incombination with others. As discussed above, a press-fit can cooperatewith a shaft fastening mechanism. Further, in some embodiments, amechanism includes deformable cantilevers for assembly.

FIG. 9 shows a cutaway view of a club head with separable aft body andcantilevers. Two of cantilever 173 are depicted, but any number ispossible. As seen in FIG. 9, aft body 843 includes a recess 177 in acrown area that does not extend entirely through the body shell (i.e., adepression). Aft body 843 also includes a recess 177 in a sole area thatdoes extend as a hole through the body shell (i.e., a hole). Anycombination of depressions and holes is possible. When aft body 843 ismated with fore body 841, they snap together when protruding tips 176 oncantilevers 173 engage with recesses 177.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an assembled club head including aftbody 843 and fore body 841 as were shown in FIG. 9. As can be seen,protruding tip 176 is visible through hole 177. Further, aft body 843can be disengaged from fore body 841 by pressing in on tip 176. Incertain embodiments, hole 177 and tip 176 are dimensioned so that aftbody 853 can be disengaged manually (e.g., without a tool). Inalternative embodiments, hole 177 is dimensioned so that a tool must beinserted.

In some embodiments, a club head can be provided along with aspecialized tool for uncoupling an aft body. A specialized tool can beused to uncouple a cantilever-based fastening mechanism, or othermechanisms. In some embodiments, a club head with a separable aft bodyis assembled and fastened through the use of a functional component,which can optionally be formed to interact with a specialized tool.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a club head with separable aft body 863 fastenedby a functional component 58. As shown in FIG. 11A, fore body 861includes a portion of a sole of the club head. Aft body 863 completesthe overall morphology of the club head. Two of functional component 58are provided in optional recessed areas on the sole of fore body 861.

A functional component 58 can be any component that adds a feature ortunes the mass distribution or affects the environmental interaction ofa club head. For example, in some embodiments, a functional componenthas a non-uniformly dimensioned morphology and modulates a face angle ora lie angle or a loft angle (effective angle) by being positioned on theclub head in different ways. In certain embodiments, a functionalcomponent is rotated to modulate an effective angle. Portions of thecomponent that have different thicknesses interact differently with theground to tune the effective angle. In alternative or additionalembodiments, a functional component is a weight. For example, a clubhead as shown in FIG. 11A can be provided with a number of components58, having a variety of different masses. A golfer can tune a massdistribution of a club head by interchanging components 58. A particularinsight of the invention is that such a system provides an unexpectedlygood way to fasten an interchangeable aft body to a club head.

FIG. 11B shows a side view of the club head shown in 11A. On thedepicted toe side, one of functional component 58 is visible and can beseen to fit into a shallow, semi-circular recess, although any recess orno recess is possible.

FIG. 12 is a cutaway view of the club head shown in FIGS. 11A along lineA-A. In the depicted embodiment, functional members 58 each include athreaded post 63 that threads into a corresponding hole in aft bodymember 863.

FIG. 13 shows the aft body 863 of the club head in FIG. 12. Aft body 863is substantially surrounded at its edge by an attachment perimeter thatincludes a flange. At two portions, the flange extends into tabs 865.Each of tab 865 includes threaded hole 867. When aft body 863 is coupledto fore body 861, functional components 58 thread through holes in forebody 861 and into threaded holes 867. When the functional components 58are tightened into place, the club head is fastened together.

This attachment mechanism using functional components can be employedfor body components or insert panels in any of a number of dimensions,morphologies, and placements around a club head.

FIG. 14 shows a club head with an interchangeable aft sole panel 883fastened into place through the use of functional component 58. Asdepicted in FIG. 14, a functional component 58 can include a toolengagement surface. In certain embodiments, a tool engagement surface ofa functional component 58 is provided to be operated by a tool that isalso the tool for coupling and releasing a shaft. By these means, agolfer may interchange components of a club head and also interchangeshafts.

FIG. 15 shows body member 881 including a crown, face, and hosel of aclub head, and having a cutaway void dimensioned to receive sole panel883. Sole panel 883, the cutaway void of body member 881, or both haveengaging flange portions 818. As shown in FIG. 15, a portion of flange818 on fore body 881 extends into tab 865 with threaded hole 867 wherefunctional component 58 can be fastened. As depicted in FIG. 15, solepanel 883 includes optional component recess 885. The fasteningmechanism depicted in FIGS. 14 and 15 is not limited to use with a solepanel. A single (or multiple) functional component 58 can be employed tocouple interchangeable components of a club head even where eachcomponent provides a substantial portion of the overall exterior area ofthe club head (e.g., a first component and a second component eachprovide over 25% or over 40% of an overall exterior area of an assembledclub head).

FIGS. 16A-16C show a club head with separable aft body 893 in which eachof aft body 893 and fore body 891 provide a substantial portion of theexterior surface area of the assembled club head (here, each provides atleast more than about 35%). As shown in FIG. 16B and in FIG. 16C, aftbody 893 is fastened to fore body 891 through a single functionalcomponent 58.

FIG. 17 shows a cutaway view of the aft body of the club head in FIGS.16A-16C. Aft body 893 has a flange at an edge that extends into tabportion 865 with hole 867 to receive functional component 58.

In certain embodiments, the invention provides golf club heads withmulti-component structures. While the embodiments disclosed hereininclude club heads for wood-type clubs, it is contemplated that one ormore of the concepts described herein can further be used for othertypes of club heads, including but not limited to irons and putters.

With reference to FIGS. 18-21, a golf club head 10 can comprise a ballstriking face 12, a crown 14, a sole 16, and a hosel 18. The golf club10 can further comprise a body member 20, a face insert 22, at least onesole insert 24, and at least one crown insert 26. In some embodiments,the body member 20 can comprise a metallic member that includes aplurality of openings for receiving the face insert 22, sole insert 24,and/or crown insert 26. In some embodiments, the body member 20 can becomprised, at least in part, of a 6-4 titanium alloy, though other typesof material are also possible. As illustrated in FIGS. 18-21, in someembodiments the body member 20 can comprise a portion or portions of theball striking face 12, crown 14, and/or sole 16.

With reference to FIG. 20, in some embodiments the hosel 18 can comprisea sleeve 28 that permits interchangeability and/or adjustability of agolf club shaft. In some embodiments the sleeve 28 can be comprised of6062 aluminum, though other types of materials are also possible. Insome embodiments, the sleeve 28 can be adjusted so as to adjust the lieangle of the club head 10. Other types of material and/or structure canalso be used for the sleeve 28. U.S. Pat. No. 7,789,766, the entirecontents of which are incorporated by reference herein, describesvarious adjustability features of a sleeve similar to sleeve 28.

FIG. 18 shows an embodiment in which hosel 18 of club head 10 includes ahosel sleeve screw 30 configured to releasably attach one or morecomponents of the hosel 18 to the club head 10. The screw 30 can becomprised, for example, of 304 stainless steel produced using atraditional screw machine with a T20 head, though other types ofmaterials and screws are also possible. Additionally, other types offasteners besides screws can be utilized. In some embodiments, the screw30 can be inserted within a recess 31 in the body member 20.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing face insert 22 in club head10. Face insert 22 can comprise at least a majority, for example byvolume and/or mass, of the ball striking face 12. In some embodiments,the face insert 22 can form approximately 60 percent of the volumeand/or mass of the ball striking face 12. In some embodiments, the faceinsert 22 can form approximately 70 percent of the volume and/or mass ofthe ball striking face 12. In some embodiments, the face insert 22 canform approximately 80 percent of the volume and/or mass of the ballstriking face 12.

The face insert 22 can be comprised of metal, or other suitablematerial. In some embodiments the face insert 22 can be comprised of thesame material as the body member 20. In some embodiments the face insert22 can be comprised of 6-4 titanium. In some embodiments the face insert22 can be comprised of more than one type of material and/or more thanone layer of material.

In some embodiments, the face insert 22 and/or ball striking face 12 cantransition into the crown 14 and sole 16 at a transition point or area.The transition point or area can be a location where a line drawnperpendicular to a tangent line extending along the surface of the clubhead 10 at the transition point or area forms an approximately 45 degreeangle relative to a vertical plane passing through the club head 10.

FIG. 19 shows crown insert 26 in club head 10 in cross-sectional view.FIG. 20 is a top view of club head 10 showing a mounting surface 48 forreceiving crown insert 26.

FIG. 21 shows crown insert 26 in cross-sectional view. In someembodiments the crown insert 26 can comprise at least a majority, forexample by volume and/or weight, of the crown 14. In some embodiments,the face insert 22 can form approximately 60 percent of the volumeand/or mass of the ball striking face 12. In some embodiments, the faceinsert 22 can form approximately 70 percent of the volume and/or mass ofthe ball striking face 12. In some embodiments, the face insert 22 canform approximately 80 percent of the volume and/or mass of the ballstriking face 12.

The crown insert 26 can be comprised of composite, reinforced plastic,thermoplastics, or other suitable material. With reference to FIG. 22,in some embodiments the crown insert 26 can be comprised entirely ofinjection molded material. In some embodiments, the insert 26 can becomprised of single or multi-density metallic or non-metallic material.

FIG. 23 illustrates an embodiment in which the crown insert 26 can haveone or more portions 38 that are comprised of plastic, along with one ormore flexible divider elements 40 that connect the portions 38 together.In some embodiments, a majority of the crown insert 26 is a thermoset orthermoplastic material, which may optionally be reinforced withsecondary fibers, such as carbon, glass, wood, plant or metal such as,for example, a plastic. In some embodiments, the portions 38 can beinterchangeable. The divider elements 40 can be comprised, for example,of any metallic or non-metallic material desirably having a density lessthan that of the body member 20. In some embodiments, the dividerelements 40 can be bonded with the remaining portions 38 of the crowninsert 26. In some embodiments the divider elements 40 can be formedintegrally with the remaining portions 38. In some embodiments, thedivider elements 40 can divide the crown insert 26 into four portions38, though other numbers of portions are also possible. The dividerelements 40, along with the plastic portions 38, can give the crowninsert 26 flexibility and reduced weight as compared with crown insertsmade of metal or carbon fiber. The added flexibility can inhibit theplastic material of crown insert 26 from cracking or fracturing. In someembodiments, if the flexibility is too great, and negatively affects thesound/tuning of the club head 10, additional measures can be taken toreinforce the club head 10 and/or to create better sound qualities. Forexample, a gasket can be added between the crown insert 26 and the bodymember 20, or material such as latex can be added between the crowninsert 26 and the body member 20, to act as a sound barrier. In someembodiments, a support member can extend generally from the sole 16 tothe crown 14 can be added to the club head 10.

In some embodiments, the club head 10 can have a density ratio betweenthe body member 20 and an insert. For example, in some embodiments theratio of the density of the body member 20 to the crown insert 26 can be1.5. In some embodiments, the density ratio between the body member 20and one of the inserts can be approximately 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 2.5, 4.0, orhigher than 4.0. Other density ratios are also possible.

Overall, the use of plastic (such as, for example, polyurethanes,polyesters, epoxy resins, phenolic resins, and carbon composites) in thecrown insert 26 can, at least in some embodiments, not only reduceweight but also facilitate a generally transparent, or at leastpartially transparent, club head 10. Transparency can allow a user toview whether material has accumulated inside the club, and/or whetherthe club head 10 is damaged or showing signs of wear on the inside. Insome embodiments, the crown insert 26 can be translucent. In someembodiments the crown insert 26 can be comprised of a photochromicmaterial. The plastic can reduce weight in the crown 314, thus allowingthe weight that otherwise would been located in the crown 314 to beoptimally redistributed to other areas of the club head 310 to optimizea location of a center of gravity, for example, or optimize moments ofinertia in the club head 310.

With continued reference to FIGS. 19-21, the crown insert 26 and/or bodymember 20 can comprise at least one mounting feature 42. The mountingfeatures 42 can be used to attach the crown insert 26 to the body member20 or other component of the club head 10. For example, with referenceto FIG. 21, in some embodiments the mounting features 42 can compriseattachment flanges, permitting the crown insert 26 to be adhesivelyattached, for example, or welded, to the body member 20. In someembodiments, mounting features can comprise non-threaded attachmentsthat clamp and unclamp with the push of a finger, hand, or tool. Themounting features can include one-touch fasteners and may have internalsprings. A press-fit or snap-fit assembly can be used. In someembodiments, a tool can be used to release an insert, such as the crowninsert, to replace it with a different crown insert.

FIG. 24 shows a detail view of section C from FIG. 21. As illustrated inFIG. 24, mounting features 42 on the crown insert 26 can comprisepost-like structures 44 that are configured to be received withincorresponding mounting features 42 on the body member 20. Thecorresponding mounting features 42 on the body member 20 can comprise,for example, openings 46 on a mounting surface 48 of the body member 20.

FIG. 25 illustrates a detail view of section C from FIG. 21 according tocertain embodiments in which a gasket member 47 is placed between thebody member 20 and crown insert 26. For example, the gasket member 47can be adhesively attached to the body member 20. In some embodiments,instead of the body member 20 having openings 46, the gasket member 47instead can include the openings 46. Alternatively, in other embodimentsboth the gasket member 47 and body member 20 can include openings, andthe post-like structures 44 can be inserted through the gasket member 47and into the body member 20.

With continued reference to FIGS. 20, 21, 24 and 25, the post-likestructures 44 and openings 46 can be spaced around the club head 10,such that the crown insert 26 is secured firmly to the body member 20 ina plurality of locations. For example, the mounting surface 48 caninclude six openings 46 spaced generally equally around the club head10, and the crown insert 26 can include six post-like structures 44 thatare configured to be received within the six openings 46. In someembodiments, the post-like structures 44 can press or snap-fit into theopenings 46, and the crown insert 26 can be held in place without theuse of any additional adhesive, welding, etc. In some embodiments,additional adhesive can be used, for example between an outer edge ofthe crown insert 26 and the mounting surface 48. In some embodiments,the crown insert 26 can be mounted to the mounting surface 48 withoutthe use of post-like structures 44 or openings 46. For example, in someembodiments the crown insert 26 can be attached purely by adhesives,welding, mechanical attachment, etc.

With reference to FIGS. 18, 19 and 21, in some embodiments the soleinsert 24 can comprise at least a majority, for example by volume, ofthe sole 16. The sole insert 24 can include composite, plastic, or anyother suitable material. In some embodiments, sole insert 24 is made ofinjection molded plastic. Further, sole insert 24 may have secondarycoatings or be co-molded to other materials. Co-molded materials andsecondary coatings can include ceramics, anodizing, or similar. In someembodiments, a secondary coating or co-molded material includes alow-friction polymer. For example, sole insert 24 may have ahard-anodized coating infused with a low-friction polymer such as afluorinated polymer (e.g., poly-tetrafluoroethelyne (PTFE), sold underthe trademark TEFLON by DuPont). Suitable coatings are discussed in U.S.Pub. 2011/0118057, the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety for all purposes.

Sole insert 24 can have a variety of shapes and sizes. For example, thesole insert 24 can have an oblong and/or generally hourglass-like shape,such as that shown in FIG. 18. Other shapes and sizes are also possible.As with the crown insert 26, the sole insert 24 can also be comprised ofa material that is lightweight, and/or less dense, than that of the bodymember 20, so that weight can be redistributed as desired to other areasof the club head 10, and a center of gravity of the club head 10 can forexample be pushed towards the back and heel side of the club head 10,and/or moments of inertia can be optimized. In some embodiments, amovement of weight can advantageously increase a moment of inertia ofthe club head 10, causing reduced unwanted twisting or movement of theclub head 10 upon impact with a golf ball.

In some embodiments, there can be more than one sole insert 24. In someembodiments, a sole insert 24 can have a divider, similar to at leastone of the embodiments of the crown insert described herein.

With continued reference to FIGS. 18, 19, and 21, the sole insert 24 cancomprise at least one mounting feature 42. The mounting features 42 canbe used to attach the sole insert 24 to the body member 20 or othercomponent of the club head 10. With reference to FIG. 19, in someembodiments the mounting features 42 of the sole insert 24 and bodymember 20 can comprise one or more attachment flanges. For example, thesole insert 24 can include a first attachment flange 50 that extendsinwardly from the sole insert 24. In some embodiments, the firstattachment flange 50 can extend at a right angle relative to a surfaceof the sole insert 24. The attachment flange 50 can be configured tocontact and/or mate with a corresponding attachment flange 52 on thebody member 20. The attachment flange 52 can have a bent profile, forexample, and extend inwardly from the body member 20 (e.g. towards aninterior volume of the club head 10).

In some embodiments, the sole insert 24, and/or other inserts on theclub head, can be configured to snap-fit into the body member 20. Forexample, in some embodiments, at least one surface of attachment flange50 can contact and press against at least one surface of the attachmentflange 52 of the body member 20, helping to hold the sole insert 24 inplace relative to the body member 20. The insert 24 can be held in placeby friction. In some embodiments the sole insert 24 can include anadditional flange 54, which contacts a flange 56 on the body member 20.The flanges 54 and 56 can also be configured to contact one another,and/or snap-fit in place or be attached by adhesive, welding, etc. Insome embodiments, the body member 20 can include a flange or flangesthat are biased in a first direction, such that when an insert ispositioned within the club head 10, the flanges are forced away from thefirst direction towards a second direction, the flanges pressing backagainst the insert towards the first direction to hold the insert inplace again once the insert has been attached. For example, in someembodiments the flange 52 can be biased in a first direction towards theback end of the club head, and pushed towards a second direction towardsthe front of the club head when the sole insert 24 is attached. In someembodiments, the body member 20 can include flanges with ends that areinitially biased towards one another, and when an insert is attached,the ends are pressed away from one another, the force of the ends of theflanges holding the insert in place. In some embodiments, adhesive,welding, and/or mechanical structures can be used to help hold one ormore inserts (e.g. the sole insert 24) in place within the body member20.

In certain embodiments, either crown insert, sole insert, any otherinsert such as a face insert or skirt insert (or combination thereof),or any other component is fastened to form a playable club by a mountingfeature that uses a threaded mechanism. For example, a mounting featuremay include a screw well such as, for example, those described in U.S.Pub. 2011/0111885, the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety for all purposes. Further, an insert may befastened into place by a screw through another portion of a club head.Threaded elements are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,033,930; U.S. Pat.No. 7,771,290; U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,011; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,365, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entiretyfor all purposes.

In some embodiments, one or more inserts, such as sole insert and/orcrown insert 24, 26 can be configured to have a size larger than that ofa corresponding opening on the body member 20. When the sole insertand/or crown insert 24, 26 is inserted into the opening in the bodymember 20, the sole insert and/or crown insert 24, 26 can flexinitially, and/or the body member 20 can flex initially, and the soleinsert and/or crown insert 24, 26 can be held in place frictionally oncepositioned inside the opening. In some embodiments, the sole insertand/or crown insert 24, 26 can force one or more flanges 50 to act as aspring mechanism, applying a force on the sole insert and/or crowninsert to hold the sole insert and/or crown insert 24, 26 in placewithin the body member 20.

Other snap-fit constructions can also be used.

FIG. 26 shows a snap-fit construction according to certain embodiments.Body member 20 of a club head can include one or more recesses,channels, openings, or other structures 858 along the inside or outsideof the club head configured to receive an attachment flange 860 on aninsert 862, and to temporarily lock the attachment flanges 860 and theinsert 862 into place within the club head. The insert 862 can beremoved, for example, by pressing on one or more areas of the insert862, such as the outside edges of the insert.

In some embodiments, screws, clamps, or other fasteners can be used toconnect, remove, and/or replace the inserts. In some embodiments,adhesive can be used to help hold an insert or inserts in place thatwill not be replaced.

In certain embodiments, two club head components can be joined, or acomponent can be joined to a body part, by an assembly method such asstaking, ultra-sonic welding, or heat staking. For example, The seams asshown in FIG. 21 provide surfaces that can be attached by these methods.In certain embodiments, components are assembled by heat staking. FIG.46 illustrates one way in which an assembly tool can access seams forassembly by heat staking.

Heat staking is a means of locking club head components together. Ingeneral, one of the parts to be assembled is designed to include aplastic post or tab which can be inserted through a hole or aperture inanother part and then permanently and inelastically deformed by thegeneration or application of heat by some tool surface which effectsplastic deformation. The variables which can be tuned include thecharacteristics of the particular plastic material employed includingits flow and melt temperatures, the nature and characteristics of thetooling employed and the geometries thereof, means by which the toolingmay be brought to bear against the plastic elements to be deformed, thechoice of method for effecting heating, and the parameters of pressure,time, and heat energy applied.

In one embodiment, a plurality of first thermoplastic components, orheat-stakes, may be located sporadically around the periphery of acomponent and a second component may comprise a plurality of secondthermoplastic components, or encapsulates, comprising receiving holeslocated in corresponding locations to the heat-stakes of the firstautomotive component. The heat-stakes may be inserted into the receivingholes and a staking device may be used to heat-treat a leading end ofeach heat-stake. This use of the staking device results in thedeformation of the heated leading end of the heat-stake such that a“mushroom cap” may be formed. The mushroom cap of each heat stakecommonly covers the corresponding receiving hole of the encapsulate.This resulting overlap results in the mechanical coupling of the firstand second components. The resulting retention force of a heat stakingprocess may be tuned by varying the amount of surface area of theencapsulate contacted by the heat-stake's mushroom cap as well as thecomposition states of the encapsulate and heat-stake.

A particular advantage of heat stake in club head assembly is that suchmethods operate well with dissimilar materials. For example, a plasticcomponent with stakes can be fastened to a metal component withreceiving holes by heat staking. Heat staking is discussed in moredetail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,755; U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,470; U.S. Pat.No. 5,871,784; U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,298; and U.S. Pub. 2008/0230948, thecontents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety for all purposes.

In certain embodiments, two club head components can be joined, or acomponent can be joined to a body part, through the use of magnets,discussed in more detail below.

In some embodiments, the club head 10 can include an entire set ofdifferent inserts that can be easily removed and replaced. This canfacilitate consumer customization of the club head 10. For example, aclub head set could include a club head 10 with a body member 20, and aplurality of different thickness, density, weight, and/or transparencycrown or sole inserts. A user can select a desired insert or inserts,and quickly and easily attach the desired inserts. Advantageously, insome embodiments the inserts can press-fit or snap-fit into place withinthe body member 20. The inserts can be interchangeable, and in someembodiments can comprise a kit, the parts of which can be tailored tospecific golfer needs. In some embodiments, the customization couldinclude choosing from a plurality of inserts with different indicia,designs, etc., including but not limited to country flags, favoriteteams, etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 18, the club head 10 can furtherinclude at least one weight member 58. The weight member 58 canremovable, and can be inserted into a portion of the body member 20. Insome embodiments, addition of a weight member 58 can advantageouslypermit more weight to be moved towards the heel of the club head 10. Insome embodiments, the weight member can have a head 60 that has an outersurface that is generally flush with an outer surface of the body member20. The weight member 58 can comprise a weight screw, formed for examplefrom tungsten, stainless steel, such as 17-4, aluminum, or othersuitable materials. Other types and materials are also possible. In someembodiments, the weight screw head 60 can include one or more toolcavities 62. The tool cavities can be configured to receive a tool, suchas a specialized tool, that is configured to remove the weight screw 58.In some embodiments the tool cavities 62 can comprise two separateopenings. In some embodiments the tool cavity can comprise a generallystar-shaped opening for receiving a correspondingly-shaped tool. Othershapes and types of tool cavities are also possible. In some embodimentsthe club head 10 can be configured to receive various weight screws 58of different weight, so that the swing weight of the club head 10 can bealtered. For example, in some embodiments the weight screw 58 can becomprised of tungsten, and weigh approximately 10 grams. In someembodiments the weight screw 58 can be comprised of stainless steel, andweight approximately 6 grams. In some embodiments the weight screw 58can be comprised of aluminum and weight approximately 2 grams. Othermaterials and weights are also possible. The type and weight of weightscrew 58 used in the club head 10 can depend on an overall club headweight, a desired swing weight, a desired location of a center ofgravity of the club head 10, and/or a desired moment of inertia of theclub head 310. For example, the club head 10 can be designed, and aweight screw 58 can be selected, such that a center of gravity of theclub head 10 is located approximately 4 mm rearward from a geometriccenter point on the face insert 22, and approximately 4 mm above alowest point on the sole 16 when the club head 10 is at address. Otherlocations for the center of gravity are also possible.

In some embodiments, the ratio of the weight screw material density tobody material density (i.e. between weight screw 58 and body member 20)can be approximately 1.5. In some embodiments the density can beapproximately 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, or higher than 4.0. Other densityratios are also possible.

In some aspects, the invention provides a club head with a removable orinterchangeable component, such as a crown panel or sole plate, that isaffixed to the a club head body through the use of a mechanism in a clubhead that also provides other functionality. Through the use ofmechanisms that also provide other functionality, it is possible toprovide a club head with one, two, three or more separable panels thatfurther include no visible assembly mechanisms (e.g., protruding plastictabs, recessed holes, etc.) other than the mechanism associated with theother functionality.

FIG. 27 shows club head 864 with insert 862. Insert 862 is shown here asa sole plate, and may be textured or contoured for turf interaction orto tune the stability of the club head when sitting on the ground in theaddress position. As shown in this embodiment, insert 862 is held inplace, at least in part by hosel sleeve screw 30.

FIG. 28 is a bottom view of club head 864. Sole insert 862 covers morethan about 50% of the visible area of the club head sole when looked atfrom underneath (e.g., about 75% of the visible area). In certainembodiments, a sole insert 862 covers less than about 50% of the visiblearea of a sole when looked at from underneath (e.g., less than about25%).

FIG. 29 shows insert 862 having boss 863 and clasp 866. Club head 864 isassembled by positioning clasp 866 on the inside edge of the insert holein the bottom of the body of club head 864. Insert 862 is then closed,using clasp 866 as a hinge, so that boss 863 comes proximal torepositionable shaft housing 865.

Club head 864 includes housing 65 to receive and mount a repositionableshaft in various dispositions. When a shaft is mounted in a hosel ofclub head 64, hosel sleeve screw 30 fastens the shaft into place.

FIG. 30 shows hosel sleeve screw 30 fixing insert 862 into position.When insert 862 is installed in club head 864, clasp 866 is entirelywithin the club head. Insert 862 is held in place securely by hoselsleeve screw 30, which is associated with other functionality of theclub head (e.g., an interchangeable/ repositionable shaft). Golf clubsincluding adjustable mechanisms, or adjustable mechanisms for golfclubs, suitable for operation with the invention, are discussed in U.S.Pub. 2010/0041493; U.S. Pub. 2011/0098128; U.S. Pat. No. 8,057,323, U.S.Pat. No. 1,879,117 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,982, incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

FIG. 31 shows an embodiment in which an insert 862 is held in placethrough the use of a releasable element 58. As discussed herein,releasable element 58 can be a weight member or another functionalelement. For example, in some embodiments, releasable element 58 is adisc-like structure (e.g., mounted on a post for insertion into a sole)with non-uniform thickness. By rotating element 58 into differentpositions, a sole can be given a different contour geometry so that anassembled golf club, when resting on a flat surface at an addressposition, interacts with the ground in different ways (i.e., rests indifferent positions). In such a fashion, release element 58 can be usedto tune an effective parameter of a club, such as face angle.

FIG. 32 shows a releasable component 58 having two tool cavities 61 anda threaded post 63. As shown in FIG. 32, releasable component 58 is asimple, monolithically formed weight.

FIG. 33 shows club head 864 configured to receive insert 862 (here, asole plate). Club head 864 includes boss 67 having a threaded hole tomate with threaded post 63. Club head 864 further includes attachmentflange 56 and repositionable shaft housing 65. Insert 862 can bepositioned on the base of club head 864 with 866 hooked therein.Releasable component 58 and shaft screw 30 can then be tightened (e.g.,with a tool), fixing inset 862 there in place. One insight of theinvention associated with clubs with most beneficial properties is thedual functionality of a releasable component to provide a customizablemass distribution while also providing a mechanism for fastening aseparable component to a club head. Separable components are discussedin U.S. Pub. 2011/0294589, the contents of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety for all purposes. Here, the inventionprovides the ability to finely-tune a club head to correct for agolfer's hook or slice by positioning the weight on a heel side, toeside, or both, through the use of a releasable weight component. Ratherthan simply adding a mass of weight, the fastening mechanism of thepresent invention derives most desirable additional utility inunexpected ways by harmonizing the placement of releasable weights usedto aid in improving a golfer's shot with the fastening of releasablebody components.

In some aspects, the invention provides club heads with separablecomponents that can be attached or removed without the use of tools.

FIG. 34 shows a club head 71 with slotted flange 77 and deformable crownpanel 75. As shown in FIG. 35, slotted flange can extend around anaperture in a club head, completely or in part. Crown panel 75 is thenpositioned so that a thin edge 79 is pressed against slotted flange 77,as shown in FIG. 36. Crown panel 75 deforms plastically or elastically.

FIG. 36 shows panel 75 being bent so that it bows outwards, allowingthin edges 79 to be inserted into slot 76 in slotted flange 77. As panel75 is released, it tends to return to its original shape such that thinedge 79 fully inserts into slot 76. In some embodiments, it is pushedentirely into place and adjusted by hand.

In some embodiments, a separable component is attached to a club headwithout tools through the use of one or more barbed posts. FIGS. 37-40show a tool-less removable panel attachment system. As shown in FIG. 37,club head 81 includes a flange 87 having one or more of hole 83therethrough.

FIG. 38 shows an insert having one or more barbed post 89 positioned anddimensioned to correspond to the holes 83. FIG. 39 shows a detailedcross-sectional view of barbed posts 89 and flange 87 with holes 83.When insert panel 85 is pushed into place, each barbed post 89 pushesthrough a hole 83. The barbs deform plastically/elastically and retaininsert 85 mounted securely on club head 81.

FIG. 40 is a side view of club head 81 and crown panel 85 with barbedposts 89 positioned to be attached together.

In certain embodiments, club head 81 is provided for use with one ormore disposable inserts 85. Each insert 85 can have a novel orinteresting color or pattern. A golfer chooses one that he or she findspleasing and inserts it into club head 81 through the use of the barbedposts (or any of the other suitable mechanisms such as those describedelsewhere herein). When the golfer wishes to remove insert 85, pullingit away from club head 81 snaps all of the barbed posts off, and theinsert is set aside. A golfer may use a tool, such as a thin, flatscrewdriver, to lift a first edge of insert 85 to aid in removing it.

In certain embodiments, the invention provides a club head with aremovable and re-attachable panel through the use of depressableengagement tabs.

FIG. 41 shows a club head 91 with four of depressable engagement pad 92and attachable crown panel 95. Crown panel 95 has four receiving holes93 dimensioned to correspond to a button portion of the depressableengagement pads 92. When crown panel 95 is pushed onto club head 91,pads 92 deform (e.g., bend inwards) and then snap into place.

FIG. 42 shows an assembled club head 91. To remove panel 95, the buttonportion of pads 92 is depressed and panel 95 is lifted off. Any suitablenumber of pads 92 may be included, and in any suitable arrangement.

In some embodiments, a removable or disposable panel is provided to beattached via adhesive.

FIG. 43 shows a club head 101 and sole plate 103 with pre-attachedadhesive strips 105. Adhesive strips 105 can be located to correspond toflange 107. Alternatively, plate 103 may not include adhesive strips105, and they can be provided separately (e.g., as double-stick tape).In some embodiments, plate 103 is fastened into place through the use ofVHB adhesive tape, wet epoxy, or a combination thereof. Fastening isdiscussed in U.S. Pub. 2011/0045921, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

In various embodiments, providing a club head with a body member and oneor more outer panels provides a club designer with opportunities fornovel arrangements of material to tune a mass distribution, to enhancestrength, to refine sound tuning, or modify coefficient of restitutionof a club head. For example, certain embodiments, a panel will be usedto cover what would otherwise be one or more holes in a club head body.Where the club head body includes a metal or other heavy material, andthe panel includes a plastic, composite, or other lightweight material,this can provide significant weight savings.

FIG. 44 illustrates a club head 111 having a crown panel 115 to cover acage portion 113 that includes one or more of hole 119 a, 119 b, . . .etc. Cage portion 113 can be surrounded by lip 117 dimensioned tocorrespond to an edge of panel 115. It may be found that thisconstruction of a club head provides excellent durability andcoefficient of restitution, while allowing for significant mass savings(relative to a club head without holes 119). Furthermore, panel 115 canbe customizable or interchangeable. In certain embodiments, panel 115has adhesive on an inner surface, barbed posts corresponding to holes inclub head 111, a thin edge corresponding to a slotted flange on clubhead 111, or any other suitable attachment mechanism such as thosedescribed herein.

In certain embodiments, a club head with a multi component constructionmakes use of a rapid fastening system such as the bolt assembly soldunder the trademark POPBOLT by Emhart Technologies (Shelton, Conn.).

FIG. 45 is a cross-sectional view of a club head 121 assembled with arapid fastening system. As shown in FIG. 45, a panel 125 is mounted to aflange in club head 121. A bolt post member 124 protrudes through a holein the flange, and a collar 127 is affixed thereto. In certainembodiments, post member 124 is a threaded bolt and collar 127 is athreaded nut. In some embodiments, post member 124 and collar 127 arecomponents of a rapid fastening system.

FIG. 46 illustrates a method of rapidly fastening a sole plate to clubhead 121. As shown in FIG. 46, post member 124 is provided by a separatebolt. Collar 127 is positioned thereon and tool 129 is used to fastencollar 127 to post member 124. When using a system such as the boltassembly sold under the trademark POPBOLT, collar 127 is swaged to postmember 124. Post member is threaded to begin with and swaging collar 127to post member 124 causes collar 127 to become threaded. Collar 127 canthen be removed through the use of a wrench. Swaging collar 127 to postmember 124 is described in FIG. 49.

FIG. 47 shows a post member 128 formed integrally with insert 125 andprotruding from a surface of the insert.

FIG. 48 illustrates an embodiment in which a protruding post is a barbedpost 89. Insert 125 with barbed post 89 can be used in club head 121,even where club head 121 can also, separately, be used with a rapidfastening system. In some embodiments, club head 121 has a rapidfastening system used to fasten insert 125 in place (e.g., by swagingcollar 127). Then, collar 127 is removed with a wrench and insert 125 isremoved and set aside. Another insert 125 that includes barbed posts 89is then fixed to club head 121 using the same holes. By these means, aclub head can be customized with a tool (for example, in a pro shop) byone method, but then can be “field stripped” and re-customized out onthe course without the benefit of the tool system.

FIGS. 49A-49C illustrate the operation of a rapid fastening system suchas the bolt assembly sold under the trademark POPBOLT by EmhartTechnologies (Shelton, Conn.). As shown in FIG. 49A, a bolt or post isinserted through a hole (e.g., post 124 protruding from insert 125 isinserted through a hole in a corresponding flange on a club head body).FIG. 49B shows positioning collar 127 over post 124 through the use oftool 129. In certain embodiments, a tool 129 of a rapid fastening systemcarries collar 127 and positions it over post 124. As illustrated byFIG. 49C, operating a trigger on tool 129 swages collar 127 to post 124(simultaneously forming a threaded connection). Operating tool 129 alsobreaks off an excess portion of post 124 and removes it. Tool 129 canthen be taken away from the assembly site.

FIG. 50 shows a hosel/face member 131 and an aft body member 135 adaptedto be coupled together with a rapid fastening system. Face member 131can include one or a number of post member 124, while body 135 has acorresponding number of inset boss 133 dimensioned so that post 124slides through a hole therein. In certain embodiments, collar 127 isthen positioned on post 124 and fastened into place as discussed aboveand as shown in FIG. 51. Suitable club heads for use with systems of theinvention are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,959,522, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for allpurposes.

In some embodiments, the invention provides a club head with a sole orcrown insert that press-fits or snap-fits into place from within theinside of the club head.

FIGS. 52-54 show a club head body 142 configured to receive internalinsert 145. As shown in FIG. 52, club head body 142 can be separatedfrom face member 141. Face member 141 is mounted to club head body byone or more of cantilever 173 (discussed in more detail with respect ofFIGS. 60-66, below).

To attach insert 145 to club head body 142, face member 141 is removed.Insert 145 is pushed into body 142 from the front aperture. Insert 154deforms slightly (e.g., by plastic/elastic deformation) and then snapsinto place within club body 142. As shown in FIG. 52, body 142 has band143 dimensioned to correspond to groove 147 on insert 145. Once insert145 is snapped into place, it can be held in place because an outer edgeof insert 145 deforms (compresses) to be insert, and then returns tooriginal shape such that the edge overlaps the edge of the correspondingvoid in body 142. Insert 145 can similarly be removed by squeezing itfrom a heel side and a toe side such that the outer edge compress, andthen pushing it into the inner volume of body 142 and removing it fromthe aperture at the front of body 142. As shown in FIG. 52, insert 145is translucent or transparent.

FIG. 53 illustrates an opaque insert 146 that functions in the samemanner.

FIG. 54 shows an assembled club head including body 142 and insert 146or insert 145.

In certain embodiments, the invention provides a club head in which aface component can be separated from a body component through the use ofa threaded connection.

FIGS. 55 and 56 show face member 151 and body member 155 withcorresponding threaded portions. As shown here, face member 151 bearsmale threaded member 153 and body member 155 bears female threadedrecess 155. Body member can be threaded onto face member 153 and screwedtightly into place. In some embodiments, a club head as shown in FIGS.55 and 56 is provided as a demonstration. For example, any part of theclub head is transparent, and the threaded members allow the club headto be separated (e.g., by unscrewing) allowing a golfer to visuallyinspect an inside detail of the club head, such as layers ofconstruction of a crown, skirt, or sole. In certain embodiments, such aclub head is not meant for playing golf, but is provided primarily as atool for displaying other features in a club head. In some embodiments,such a separable club head is provided as a novelty item, such as a toyfor children, a canteen or flask, a tee case, or a gag gift or marketingprop. In certain embodiments, one of male threaded member 153 and femalethreaded recess 155 corresponds in dimensions to some commonly availablethreaded item (such as a mason jar or wide mouth drink bottle) allowinga golfer to make amusing assemblies.

In certain embodiments, the invention provides a strap-based assemblysystem that uses Velcro, snaps, clasps, or adhesives.

FIG. 57 illustrates a club head 161 with a crown member 165 having agroove 167 therein. When the crown member 165 is positioned on club head161, first strap 162 can be fastened to second strap 164, holding thecrown member 165 in place.

FIG. 58 shows club head 161 with strap 164 holding crown member 165 inplace. Crown member 165 can be translucent, transparent, or opaque. Incertain embodiments, the straps fasten by Velcro. A club head of theinvention can have one or more straps, individually or in combination,that bind to or surround a portion of a club head for functional oraesthetic purposes. For example, in some embodiments, a club headincludes a strap (e.g., nylon, rubber, or leather) that extends in aface-aft direction, as shown in FIG. 57. In certain embodiments, a strapmember extends around a club head, entirely or in part, in a heel-toedirection. Further, straps may extend in both directions or at anglesrelative to those directions.

FIG. 59 is a top view of club head 161. Straps may be used to carryweight members or electronics-related items (e.g., devices such asshot-tracking devices with accelerometers or LCD screens). Inembodiments in which crown member 165 is translucent or transparent,such an arrangement can provide a golfer a view of an element within theclub head such as, for example, a digital screen or readout. Straps maybe provided as described (e.g., as wrapping elements) in U.S. Pat. No.7,896,753, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety for all purposes.

In some aspects, the invention provides club heads that includecantilevered attachments. FIGS. 60-66 show cantilevers.

FIG. 60 shows a face member 171 having a number of cantilever 173protruding therefrom. Body member 175, shown in FIG. 62, has a number ofrecess 177 located and dimensioned to correspond to tips 176 ofcantilevers 173. When face member 171 is mated to body member 175,cantilever tips 176 snap into place in recesses 177, fastening the clubtogether.

Either of the face member or body member may further include sets ofcorresponding tab 187 and slot 180 to aid in positioning the bodymembers together.

In some embodiments (not pictured), recesses 177 are holes through apart of the club head, and the cantilevered component can be removedfrom the component with holes by pressing in on the tips 176. It will beappreciated that this describes a functionality that is related to thatdescribed with reference to FIGS. 41 and 42. Depressable engagement pad92 and receiving hole 93 can be a related embodiment of cantilever 173and recess 177, and vice versa.

In some embodiments, a body member 175 includes decoupling holes 183. Atool 181 is provided, as shown in FIG. 61, having a prong set 185dimensioned to be inserted into decoupling holes 183. Prong set 185pushes cantilever tips 176 out of depressions 177, allowing club headcomponents to be separated from one another.

FIGS. 63-66 show configurations of cantilevered posts and recesses. FIG.63 shows a cantilever 173 having a squared tip 176 designed toinseparably couple two components of a club head.

FIG. 64 shows an angled tip 176 designed to be slid out from recess 177allowing components to be decoupled.

FIG. 65 shows another embodiment of decoupling holes 183 arranged sothat prong set 185 pushes on a distal tip of cantilever 173.

FIG. 66 shows a spring cantilever 174 having a protruding tab 178available from an outside of a club head that can be manually squeezedto decouple components of a club head.

In certain aspects and embodiments, the invention provides separablecomponents of multi-component club heads that employ a cam mechanism forreleasably joining components. FIGS. 67A-67C show a club head 301 withcomponent 305 having cam mechanism 313. As shown in FIG. 67A, club head301 has a void opening 311 dimensioned to mate with component 305. Oneportion of component engages at a perimeter of void opening 311. Here,component 305 is shown having hooks to catch bar 307. Any suitableengagement mechanism can be used. With a portion of component 305engaged at void opening 322, cam mechanism 313 can be rotated into placeto produce a fastened-together club head as shown in FIG. 67B. FIG. 67Cis a cross-section of club head 301 showing bar 307 receiving hooks ofcomponent 305, and cam mechanism 313 rotated into place.

FIG. 68 is a detail view of the cam mechanism of FIGS. 67A-67Cillustrating cam axis 321 through cam mechanism 313. FIG. 69 illustratesradii around a cam axis. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIGS.67-68, component 305 is dimensioned to engage with club head 301 suchthat some deformation of component 305 is required to remove it. Asshown in FIGS. 67A and 67C, an aft portion of component 305 bends underand forward, while an aft portion of the perimeter of void opening 311extends upwards and aft-ward. These two portions hook together (i.e.,requiring some deformation of component 305 to put it into place on clubhead 301). When cam 313 is rotated into place, it abuts a surface ofcomponent 305 and prevents the deformation of component 305 that wouldbe necessary to remove the component from the club.

As shown in FIG. 67A, cam mechanism 313 may have a tool engagementsurface 319 capable of engaging with a tool. A golfer can engage thetool with tool engagement surface 319 to have leverage from the handleof the tool to release cam mechanism 313 from the fastened position.

FIG. 69 illustrates the operation of cam mechanism 313. As shown in FIG.69, an outer surface of cam mechanism 313 defines a non-constant radiusaround cam axis 321. When cam mechanism 313 is fastened into place on anassembled golf club, cam axis 321 is spaced away from an adjacentportion of the club head by an engaged radius R_(X). Cam mechanism 313may further be dimensioned such that, when it is fully released (e.g.,in the “up” position compared to FIG. 67A), cam axis 321 is spaced awayfrom the adjacent portion of the club head by a minimum radius R_(min).Releasing cam mechanism 313 requires pushing it through an orientationin which cam axis 321 is spaced away from the adjacent portion by amaximum radius R_(Max). The relative dimensions of the radii (e.g.,R_(min)<R_(X)<R_(Max)) prevents cam mechanism from releasingunexpectedly. Force must be applied (e.g., through the use of a tool) todeform component 305 enough to allow R_(Max) to pass the adjacentportion of the club head. Because cam mechanism 313 presents the minimumradius R_(min) to the adjacent portion when it is in the releasedposition component 305 has the most space to allow for easy removal fromclub head 301.

In certain embodiments, the amount of deformation required to removecomponent 305 from club 301 is close to the limit of perception for mostpeople. A user may intuitively realize that they are deforming component305 to attach it and remove it, but component 305 may not exhibitsubstantial deformation. In some embodiments, deformation of component305 is elastic, plastic, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, a cam-based mechanism (e.g., as illustrated in FIG.68) is used with another fastening mechanism. For example, a cam can beprovided with a cantilever 173 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 60) suchthat, when the cam is engaged, cantilever 173 is prevented fromexhibiting any deformation such that, for example, aft component 175 isfixed to face component 171 (making reference to FIGS. 60 and 62).

In certain embodiments, a cam is integrally formed with a fasteningmember. For example, FIGS. 70A-70D show a club head 331 with cam member339 integrally formed with engagement hooks 338.

FIG. 70A shows club head 331 with removable crown 333 including cammember 337.

FIGS. 17B and 70C show removable sole 335 including cam member 339.Either or both cam member may have a tool engagement surface to beoperated through the use of tool 181. FIG. 70D shows a detail view ofcam member 337. Cam member 337 rotates about cam axis 349 bringingengagement hook around engagement member 341.

FIGS. 71A and 71B show engagement member 341 supported by one or more ofarm 342 on club head 331. A surface of cam member 339 engages with asurface at a perimeter of removable sole 335 (the relevant portion ofthe perimeter of removable sole 335 may be thickened, folded inwards, orprovided with an engagement block). When cam member 339 is engaged, itcannot freely release because force is required to push the portion ofcam member 339 having RMax past the surface of the perimeter ofremovable sole 335. However, cam member 339 can be rotated by a golfer.In some embodiments, a golfer can manually rotate cam member 339, forexample, because an elongated edge member provides a handle or lever. Incertain embodiments, a golfer inserts a tool 181 into tool engagementsurface 319 and uses the tool to release the component from the golfclub.

In certain embodiments, the invention provides a golf club head with aremovable component that fastens to a shaft of the golf club. Withoutbeing bound by theory, fastening a removable component to a shaft mayprovide for a very securely assembled club head due to the fact that theshaft provides a carriage function in that it carries the club head andit carries the energy of a golfer's swing. A component secured to theshaft can transmit any stress energy it is subject to through the shaftto the golfer—just as energy of impact is transmitted from a center ofpercussion at the club head to the golfer. Thus, when a golf ball ishit, the impact energy is transferred from the club head body throughthe shaft to the golfer and, simultaneously, from the separablecomponent through the shaft and to the golfer. Accordingly, fasteningthe separable component to the shaft may tend to inhibit relativestresses between the component and the club head body.

FIGS. 72A-72B show a separable component 355 for club head 351 includinga mechanism for coupling to a shaft 361 of a golf club. Club head body351 includes a cutaway, or void, dimensioned to correspond to component355. Shaft 361 extends through a hosel of club head body 351, and mayinclude a ferrule 359. Component 355 has a fastening mechanism thatincludes shaft collar 357 dimensioned to pass into club head body 351and engage a portion of shaft 361.

As shown in FIG. 72B, component 355 includes a slot that extends in avertical direction when the club is at address. When component 355 ismounted to body 351, shaft collar 357 is disposed beneath an end ofshaft 361. A golfer then lifts the mechanism, sliding shaft collar overthe end of shaft 361. FIG. 73 shows shaft collar 357. In someembodiments, shaft collar 357 has a cylindrical portion and two tabsthat extend from the cylindrical portion. In some embodiments, the twotabs are spaced apart from one another, at least proximal to thecylindrical portion, while shaft collar 357 is not subject to anystress. Sliding shaft collar 357 upwards through the slot in component355 can push the tabs together if a portion of the slot has an invertedV shape. Thus, sliding collar 357 up over shaft 361 forms a press-fitbetween collar 357 and the shaft. Once positioned so, tab 363 can beswung into a closed position, pushing post 365 into hole 369 (which canbe a press-fit or snap-fit engagement) so that collar 357 remains firmlymounted to shaft 361. In this way, component 355 is securely mounted toclub body 351 to provide a playable club.

In some aspects, the invention includes the realization and developmentof the idea that a multi-component golf club head may be provided withoptimized characteristics by coupling a component to a club head body oranother component by fastening the component to the shaft or fasteningthe component into place through the use of a mechanism that alsoprovides other functionality in the club head. A component may besecurely fastened to a club head body through integration with the shaftby a variety of suitable mechanisms. FIGS. 74 and 75A-75C illustrate amechanism for removably coupling a component to a club head body via theshaft. As seen in FIG. 75A, club head body 371 includes a cutaway voidin the crown area dimensioned to receive an insert. While illustratedhere as a portion of the crown, a cutaway void and a correspondinginsert could define any suitable portion of the club head.

Club head 371 includes hosel recess 383 dimensioned to mate with hoselinsert 387 on component 375. Component 375 is coupled to club head body371 by inserting hosel insert 387 into hosel recess 383 to form anassembled club head 390 as shown in FIGS. 75A-75C. As can be seen inFIG. 74, the cutaway void in club head body 371 has a flange around atleast a portion of the perimeter of the void.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 75A, the cutaway void and the component375 have corresponding wavy edges. The perimeter edge of the cutawayvoid is wavy in that it defines one or more lobe 377 corresponding tocomplementary wavy portion of component 375. The wavy portion ofcomponent 375 may further include a webbed portion 379 to slip underlobe 377 to help position component 375 correctly and hold it in place.One insight of the invention is that coupling lines in conformationsother than straight may provide unexpected benefits in terms ofdurability, ease of assembly, sound tuning, among other things. Morewill be said about non-straight coupling seams below.

Assembled club head 390 may be fastened together for playing by anysuitable mechanism. In certain embodiments, club head 390 takesadvantage of an interchangeable or repositionable shaft that may, forexample, also provide other functionality to a golf club (such asmultiple loft angles or different shaft lengths). Interchangeable andrepositionable shafts are discussed elsewhere herein. In certainembodiments, a shaft with a fixed ferrule is inserted into the hosel ofcomponent 375. Club head body 371 has a bore, or hole, for a shaftsleeve screw in the heel region of the sole. A shaft sleeve screwextends through the club head and threads into an end of the shaft. Whenthe shaft sleeve screw is tightened, a compressive force is exertedbetween the fixed ferrule and the screw head/ washer, thereby firmlygripping component 375 to club head body 371. Other mechanisms forcoupling the shaft and ferrule to body 371, thereby holding component375 in place, may include a bayonet mounting mechanism with J-shapedslots (see, e.g., U.S. Pub. 2010/0261543, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes), athreaded portion in hosel recess 383 corresponding to a threaded memberon the shaft (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,754, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for allpurposes), or other methods known in the art. Mechanisms for golf clubssuitable for operation with the invention, are discussed in U.S. Pub.2010/0041493; U.S. Pub. 2011/0098128; U.S. Pat. No. 8,057,323, U.S. Pat.No. 1,879,117 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,982, incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

As discussed above, in certain embodiments, a component mates with aclub head body or with another component via a non-straight seam line(e.g., not a straight line when viewed along a surface of an assembledclub head). FIGS. 75A-75C and FIG. 76 show embodiments includingnon-straight seams. In some embodiments, coupling seams include wavylines. Wavy can include, for example, lines that—when projected onto asurface—have at least three inflection points that can be connected byan arc. Wavy can include lines or edges that may generally be describedas lobed, scalloped, or wavy.

One insight of the invention is that a golf company may desire toprovide a family of similar, but not identical, club heads, each havinga separable component. For example, a golf company may provide twodrivers having the same model name, wherein one is a few cubic cm largerthan the other (e.g., men's and women's models). Each club head can beprovided with a separable component that has a functionally similarcoupling mechanism and occupies a similar portion of an assembled clubhead. To avoid golfer confusion, different clubs can be provided withdistinct wavy line patterns in the coupling seams. For example, the 455cubic cm driver may have a wavy assembly seam line with three lobes onthe club head body that interlock with two lobes on the separablecomponent, whereas a 425 cubic cm driver may have a “tight wave”assembly seam line with seven lobes on the club head body that interlockwith six lobes on the component. Through this mechanism, the separatedcomponents will each have a distinct appearance such that a golfer caneasily reach for and pick up only the appropriate one when assembling agolf club.

For example, according to this example, a golfer who owns the 425 cubiccm model could enter a pro-shop seeking to purchase a newly-releasedcomponent with some attractive feature (such as a translucent materialin the component that reveals a digital LED screen of an electroniccomponent within the club head). Knowing that their club head includedthe seven-lobed edge, the golfer—when looking at the components in thedisplay case—can easily focus their attention on only those that fitwith their club head.

Moreover, it is an insight of the invention that wavy lines may providefunctional and structural advantages. For example, when coupling acomponent to a club head body (e.g., outdoors in the elements), it maybe easier to achieve a proper fitting (i.e., easier to “seat” the partin place) if the wavy edges guide the component into the proper seating.

Further, the stability of the coupling of multi-components may belimited by degrees of freedom of relative motion between the twocomponents. For example, when a cross sectional-profile of a componentis curved (see, e.g., component 26 in FIG. 19), coupling the componentto the club head body may leave open certain degrees of freedom (e.g.,lateral translation in a front-back direction of the component relativeto the club head). Providing a wavy coupling seam as shown in FIG. 75Acan remove a degree of freedom of relative translation, therebyincreasing the security of the coupling of the multiple club headcomponents.

Beyond aiding a golfer in seating a component, and removing degrees offreedom to prevent uncoupling, a wavy seam may provide mating contactlines and surfaces that are oriented desirably relative to a directionof propagation of an impact-associated wave of compression energy. Whena club head strikes a ball with force, energy may be transferred throughthe club head as compression waves that propagate through the materials.Where the waves encounter boundaries between separate components, theymay reflect or refract in an undesired fashion if the wave-boundaryintersection defines solely and only one certain angle (e.g., less than45°). For example, given that driver heads may have shapes that havebeen optimized by generations of engineering design, placing a couplingseam between two components along a substantial portion of the driverhead may interfere with impact wave propagation in ways that adverselyaffect the playability of a club, for example, diminishing itscoefficient of restitution, contributing to rapid materials fatigue, orcausing very uncomfortable transmissions of vibrations to a golfer'sarms. Providing wavy boundaries may tend to preserve the existing,optimized energy propagation characteristics of a club head withmulti-component construction.

FIG. 76 shows a club head with multi-component construction in which aboundary seam between component 389 and club head body 381 is wavy. Clubhead body 381 includes a cutaway void space dimensioned to receivecomponent 389. The void space may bear one or more of support flange 386spaced around the perimeter. The wavy edge generally defines a series oflobe 377. Component 389 may be provided with webbed portion 379corresponding to lobe 377 and fitted to extend under an edge of lobe377, holding component 389 in its proper place in an assembled clubhead. As shown in FIG. 76, component 389 includes a snap-fit mechanism388 for removably coupling the component to the club head.

FIG. 77 shows a cross-sectional view of snap-fit mechanism 388.Cantilever 60 includes a protrusion that can mate with slot 358. Incertain embodiments, a portion of cantilever 600 can be manuallymanipulated from the outside of an assembled club head to releasecomponent 389 from club head body 381.

In some aspects, the invention provides a club head with multi-componentconstruction in which a component includes a malleable material such asrubber.

FIG. 78 shows a club head 393 with a malleable component 395 capable ofbeing pulled away from the club head by a peeling, or folding-backaction. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 78, one edge of amalleable component is permanently fixed the club head (e.g., throughcement, or rivets, or similar suitable attachment mechanism). In otherembodiments, malleable component 395 is fully removable from club head393 (e.g., for replacement/interchangeability with another component).

As shown in FIG. 78, malleable component 395 includes a gasket ring 397.Club head 399 bears a corresponding boss portion 399. In someembodiments as shown in FIG. 78, boss portion 399 is rigid (e.g.,plastic, metal, or composite) and dimensioned to be pressed into aninternal space of gasket ring 397. The pressure between gasket ring 397and boss portion 399 creates a press-fit that holds component 395 toclub head 393 during play. Boss portion 399 can provide functionality tothe club head. For example, in certain embodiments, boss portion 399surrounds a feature such as an opening into the club head, aweight-mounting port, or a mini-USB port. An opening can be providedthat allows a golfer to insert a tool into the club head to interactwith some other feature within the club head, such as, for example, atunable mass-distribution mechanism or an assembly tool similar to theone depicted in FIG. 46.

FIGS. 79A and 79B show use of a flap component to fasten a separablecomponent to club head body. As shown in FIG. 79A, club head body 409includes a cutaway void space dimensioned to receive insert 401. Theperimeter of the void space includes one or a number of mounting flanges411 that can hold insert 401 in place. Further, a portion of insert 401my include one or number of mounting tabs dimensioned to slip under anedge of the perimeter of the void space. Insert 401 includes a bossportion 399 dimensioned to mate with gasket ring 397 on malleablecomponent 395.

As shown in FIG. 78B, insert 401 can be positioned in the cutaway spaceof club head 409. Then, malleable component 395 can be used to fasteninsert 401 in place, for example, through the use of a press fit betweengasket ring 397 and boss portion 399. While insert 401 is here shown ashaving a wavy perimeter edge to mate with a corresponding wavy edge ofthe perimeter of the cutaway void in club head 409, this is just oneillustrated embodiment. Insert 401 can have any suitable shapeincluding, for example, a rectangle (e.g., to cover a compartment fortwo AA or AAA batteries), circular (e.g., to cover a screw or weightport), or irregular (e.g., to provide access to some interior mechanismor mass-distribution assembly).

Use of one component to aid in connecting another component allows forbenefits in design and manufacturing that may not otherwise be availableto club head designers. For example, when an assembled club headincludes a separable component joined to the club head body (or anothercomponent) along an attachment perimeter, if a portion of the attachmentperimeter is covered (for example, by a flexible flap 395), that portionmay be manufactured to less precise manufacturing tolerances than if itwere uncovered in an assembled, playable club head.

To illustrate, FIG. 78B shows insert component 401 assembled to clubhead body 409. An aft edge of insert 401, as shown, does not meet andmate with the perimeter of the cutaway void space in club head body 409.However, when flexible flap 395 is pushed into place, no gap betweeninsert 401 and club head body 409 will appear under visual inspection.Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the invention provides a club headhaving a club head body and a separable insert in which an outerperimeter of the insert and an inner perimeter of a cutaway space in thebody define an attachment perimeter. When the insert is coupled to thebody, they make contact along a portion of the attachment perimeter andthey are optionally spaced away from one another along a portion of theattachment perimeter. Another component of the club head is provided tocover the spaced away portion of the attachment perimeter such that,when the club head is fully assembled, no gaps are visible from theoutside of the club head. This allows club head body 409 to be designedand manufactured with a cutaway provided to receive an insert. Then,insert 401 can be designed or manufactured with less stringent attentiongiven to the fit along a portion of the insert, which may allowmanufacturing to be faster or less expensive.

In some aspects, the invention provides a component for a club head thatforms an assembled, playable club head through the use of magnets.

FIG. 80 shows a club head body 501 having a cutaway portion with aprotruding flange defining slot 507. A separable sole member 505 hasprotruding tabs 509 dimensioned to slide into slot 507 to form anassembled club head. Each of club head body 501 and sole member 505 haveone or more of boss 513, shown here on an inside surface, holding atleast one magnet 523. Any magnet may be used in the invention. In someembodiments, a high-strength magnet such as a rare earth magnet is used(e.g., magnets including neodymium or samarium-cobalt). Magnet 523 canbe press-fit into boss 519, held in place by adhesives, threaded in, orheld in place by any other suitable method (including, for example,being embedded in plies of pre-peg using, for example, manufacturingmethods as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,608 the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for allpurposes). Further, magnets may be employed to fix a mass element inplace, such as a mass ring as disclosed in U.S. Pub. 2011/0081986, thecontents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entiretyfor all purposes.

FIG. 81 is a top-down view of boss member 513 with magnet 523 therein.As can be seen from FIG. 81, boss 513 can be positioned to expose asurface of a magnet for interaction with another magnetic material.

FIG. 82 shows another embodiment of the invention using magnets tofasten a component to a club head. Here, insert panel 605 is hooked intoclub head body 601 via a flange on insert panel 605 received by slot607. Distal to the flange is a mating surface presented bymagnet-including bosses on insert 605 and club head body 601. Looking,for example, at club head body 601, a boss portion 609 extends upwardsand includes magnet 613 mounted therein (for example, by one of themethods mentioned above).

Magnetized coupling points can be positioned at any suitable location ona club head. In certain embodiments, separable components are designedto be held in place through the use of magnets that, when on anassembled club head, are located so as to optimize mass distribution(e.g., to increase MOI around a center of percussion on a strike face orto lower a center of gravity).

FIGS. 83-85 illustrate another embodiment using magnets to couple aninsert to a club head body. Here, insert 705 is coupled to club headbody 701 through one or more of protruding post 706 dimensioned to bereceived by corresponding slot 708. An aft end of inert 705 includes oneor more of magnet 709 (not visible in FIG. 83) exposed on an undersidethereof. Club head body 701 further includes one or more of magnet 707.

FIG. 85 is a face-aft cross sectional view through magnetic couplingmechanism of insert 705 and club head body 701. Magnet 709 in insert 705matches up to magnet 707 in club head body 701, thereby fastening theclub together for playing golf.

In certain aspects and embodiments, the invention provides club withinserts and components that connect via one or more flanges or seams.

FIG. 86 shows a club head 1001 that includes a ball-striking face 1002,a crown 1004, a sole 1006, a skirt 1008 that extends between crown 1004and sole 1006, and a hosel 1010. Golf club head 1001 is generallyconstructed from a body member 1012, a crown member 1014, and a solemember 1016. In the present embodiment, crown 1004, sole 1006 and skirt1008 each include a multi- material construction.

FIG. 87 illustrates certain embodiments in which a portion of crown 1004is constructed from body member 1012 and another portion is constructedfrom crown member 1014. A portion of sole 1006 is constructed from bodymember 1012 and another portion is constructed from sole member 1016.Furthermore, a portion of skirt 1008 is constructed from body member1012 and another portion of skirt 1008 is constructed from sole member.

Body member 1012 includes a crown portion 1023 that forms a forwardportion of crown 1004, a sole portion 1022 that forms a forward portionof sole 1006, a skirt portion that forms either a discontinuous, orcontinuous, portion of skirt 1008, and at least a peripheral portion offace 1002 of golf club head 1001. The crown portion is adjacent face1002 and extends aft-ward from face 1002 and generally extends laterallyfrom a toe side of the golf club head to a heel side of the golf clubhead and adjacent hosel 1010. The fore-aft length of each of the crownportion and the sole portion of body member 1012 may be any selectedlength, but is preferably in a range of about 0.100 inch to about 3.00inches. The length of sole portion extending from face 1002 may beselected so that a desired ground contact location, when the club is inan address position, is located on the sole portion. The length may alsobe selected so that the center of gravity of golf club head 1001 islocated vertically above the sole portion when the club is in an addressposition.

Sole portion 1022 and skirt portion 1018, 1020 of body member 1012provide mounting features for attaching sole member 1016 to body member1012. The mounting features may be any feature that provides structurefor attaching a portion of sole member 1016 to body member 1012 such asan attachment flange or cavity. In the illustrated embodiment, bodymember 1012 includes an attachment flange having portions with differentconfigurations for attaching sole member. In particular, the attachmentflange is configured so that sole member 1016 is coupled to body member1012 with both a lap joint and a butt joint over portions of theattachment.

Crown portion 1023 and skirt portion 1018, 1020 of body member 1012provide mounting features for attaching crown member 1014 to body member1012. The mounting features may be any feature that provides structurefor attaching a portion of crown member 1014 to body member 1012. Asshown, a peripheral portion of crown member 1014 overlaps and is coupledto body member 1012 with a lap joint. Body member 1012 and crown member1014 may be coupled using any attachment method suitable for theselected materials, such as adhesive bonding, ultrasonic welding,welding, brazing, soldering, etc.

FIG. 86 illustrates certain embodiment in which body member 1012includes a discontinuous skirt portion that includes a toe portion 1018and a heel portion 20 that do not meet at an aft portion of the golfclub head. As a result, body member 1012 includes a gap in the skirtportion that is located at an aft portion of body member 1012. Skirt1008 in the completed golf club head 1001, however, is continuousbecause a portion of sole member 1016 is inserted into the gap and formsa portion of skirt 1008. It should be appreciated that the skirtportions may be configured so that gap is located at any portion ofskirt 1008. For example, the gap may be located heel- ward, toe-ward orat-ward on skirt 1008.

FIG. 87 is a cross-sectional view of club head 1001, showing that solemember 1016 is coupled to sole portion 1022 and the heel and toe skirtportions 1018, 1020 of body 1012. An aft portion 1024 of sole member1016 includes a flange 1026 that provides an attachment feature for anaft portion of crown member 1014 and additional reinforcement to thatportion of the skit. In the present embodiment, flange 1026 extendsbetween toe skirt portion 1018 and heel skirt portion 1020 of bodymember 1012 to form a continuous skirt 1008. It should be appreciatedthat an insert may be co-molded, bonded or inserted into flange 1026 toprovide additional strength and/or stiffness.

The structure of golf club head 1001 provides manufacturing advantagesover many previous multi-material constructions. Because only a portionof skirt 1008 is formed from body member 1012, the manufacturing methodof golf club head 1001 creates less waste.

FIG. 88 illustrates a step in a method of constructing body member 1012and golf club head 1001. Body member 1012 is constructed as a monolithicstructure. Preferably, body member 1012 is constructed from a metallicmaterial such as titanium, magnesium, steel, etc. such as by casting.Body member 1012 may alternatively be constructed from a non-metallicmaterial, such as a fiber reinforced plastic or a thermoset plastic bymolding. Additionally, the construction allows the mass to bedistributed more easily to manipulate the center of gravity and themoment of inertia of golf club head 1001.

Body member 1012 is initially constructed with a discontinuous skirt1008 and crown and sole portions with greater surface area than thefinal configuration. The crown and sole portions include a sole support1030 and a crown support 1032, as shown by dotted line in FIGS. 88 and89, which are recessed at the at end of the body member to create a gapin the skirt such that the body member includes an opening 1028. Solesupport 1030 and crown support 1032 are formed during the initialformation of body member 1012 and extend across body member 1012 so thattoe skirt portion 1018 and heel skirt portion 20 are supported duringthe formation of body member 1012. The support portions providestructural support to the skirt portions rather than forming them ascantilevered members relative to the remainder of body member 1012. As aresult, the support portions prevent dimensional changes of the bodymember and improve the flow of material during the forming process.

A portion of each of the sole support 1030 and the crown support 1032extend to the extremities of toe skirt portions 1018 and heel skirtportion 1020. The angle of intersection of a respective extremity andsupport portion is predetermined to provide sufficient support to theskirt portion during manufacturing.

FIG. 89 illustrates an angle a at which crown/sole supports intersect atangent to the skirt. After body member 1012 is formed sole support 1030and crown support 1032 are removed and discarded. Sole support 1030 andcrown support 1032 may be removed by any known method, such as milling,laser or plasma cutting, water jetting, etc. Sole support 1030 and crownsupport 1032 are cut so that a sole flange 1034 and a crown flange 1036remain part of body member 1012. The sizes of sole support 1030 andcrown support 1032 are preferably minimized to reduce the amount ofmaterial that is discarded while providing adequate support to the heeland toe skirt portions to resist bending and twisting duringmanufacture. Preferably, each of the sole support 1030 and the crownsupport 1032 and a tangent to the skirt 1008 intersect at an angle a ofabout 30° to about 120°, and more preferably the support and the skirtintersect at an angle of about 50° to about 100°, more preferably at anangle of about 70° to about 90°.

The remaining portion of skirt 1008 has an outer surface having agenerally parabolic shape in cross-section having an apex that lies onan outer most edge of the club head. Preferably, the crown and soleflanges extend for a distance of between about 0.10 inch to about 0.5inch inward from the outer most edge of the club head. The crown andsole portions may also include a step, or shoulder at an intermediatelocation.

After sole support 1030 and crown support 1032 are removed, sole member1016 is coupled to sole flange 1034 of body member 1012 to form acomplete sole. Furthermore, the at portion 1024 of sole member 1016provides a structure for attachment of an aft portion 1025 of crownmember 1014. In the present embodiment, aft portion 1024 of sole member1016 includes a skirt structure and a flange 1038 that completes thediscontinuity in crown flange 1036 and skirt 1008. Crown member 1014 iscoupled to crown flange 1036 and aft portion 1024 of sole member 1016 tocomplete crown 1004 of golf club head 1001.

Referring to FIGS. 90-92, another embodiment including an alternativeattachment structure for a sole and/or crown member will be described.Golf club head 1050 generally includes a sole 1052, a crown 1054, ahosel 1056, a ball-striking face 1058 and a skirt 1060. A body member1062 is constructed to include sole 1052, a crown portion 1063, hosel1056, a face portion 1064 and skirt 1060 as integral parts thereof. Inparticular, body member 1062 is generally formed as a monolithic body,such as by casting a metallic material, and includes a crown openingthat extends over a portion of crown 1054 and a face opening thatextends through ball-striking face 1058. A face insert 1065 is insertedinto the face opening and is preferably suspended across the opening.Face insert 1065 may provide any portion of ball-striking face 58 andmay be constructed with a constant thickness or with portions havingdifferent thicknesses.

The crown opening is covered by a crown member 1066 which is attached tobody member 1062. Preferably, crown member 1066 is suspended across thecrown opening and the perimeter of crown member 1066 is attached to bodymember 1062. Where components are attached at or around a perimeter, theattachment need not be continuous and multiple attachment geometries ormechanisms may be employed along a perimeter.

FIG. 90 illustrates an attachment flanges with multiple portions. Crownmember 1066 is attached to attachment features that are formed on crownportion 1063 and skirt 1060 of body member 1062. The attachment featureincludes a first flange portion 1068 and a second flange portion 1070.First flange portion 1068 includes a single faceted portion thatprovides a bonding surface for crown member 1066 to crown portion 1063and a portion of skirt 1060. Second flange portion 1070 includes amulti-faceted portion that provides multiple bonding surfaces for crownmember 1066 on a portion of skirt 1060. In the present embodiment, firstflange portion 1068 extends around a forward portion of the perimeter ofthe crown opening and second flange portion 1070 extends around an aftportion of the perimeter of the crown opening.

First flange portion 1068 provides a single faceted attachment featurethat extends along a forward edge of the crown opening and along forwardportions of skirt 1060 on both the heel side and toe side of the golfclub head. The first flange portion 1068 is joined with crown member1066 by a single lap joint configuration. In particular, thecorresponding portion of crown member 1066 includes a single wall thatoverlaps and is coupled to first flange portion 1068.

Second flange portion 1070 provides a multi-faceted attachment featurethat extends along an aft portion of skirt 1060. By constructing aportion of skirt with a multi- faceted attachment feature, the mass ofskirt 1060 may be more efficiently located by creating a compact mass inthe skirt while providing sufficient bonding surface area for the crownmember. Additionally, the attachment feature allows more preciselocation of crown member 1066 during manufacture because the interactionbetween the multi-faceted feature of skirt 1060 and crown member 1066are self-locating.

FIG. 91 shows a cross-sectional view of club head 1050 along line 6-6 inFIG. 90. As shown in area “A”, an aft portion of crown member 1066includes a multi-faceted, or non-planar, attachment feature thatcomplements the attachment feature of body member 1062.

FIG. 92 is a detail view of area “A” from FIG. 91, showing an aftportion of crown member 1066 including a pair of attachment surfaces1072 that are angled relative to each other and that complement a pairof attachment surfaces 1074 included on the skirt. In the presentembodiment, attachment surfaces 1072 of crown member 1066 are formed ona pair of at flanges 1076, 1078. A first at flange 1076 forms a portionof the outer surface of crown member 1066 which has a continuous curvedouter contour. A second flange 1078 branches away from first at flange1076 toward the internal cavity of the golf club head so that the twoflanges are angled relative to each other and are configured forattachment to the multi-faceted skirt 1060. It should also beappreciated that the flanges may create a continuous curved mountingsurface that interfaces a curved mounting surface of the skirt.

The angle between flanges 1076, 1078 is selected to match the particularconfiguration of the skirt and the desired method of attachment. Forexample, the draft angle of the attachment surfaces of the skirt and themanufacturing tolerances of the crown member are considered.Additionally, the method of attaching the crown member is consideredsuch as if, during attachment of the crown member, the entire peripheryof the crown member contacts the body member at the same time or if aportion of the crown member is contacted and the remainder is rotatedinto position. In one method, the portion of the crown member closest tothe face of the golf club is installed and the crown member is rotatedso that the aft portion comes in contact with the body member However,the angle is generally between about 40° and about 140°, more preferablybetween about 60° and about 120°, and even more preferably between about80° and about 100°.

Second flange 1070 of skirt 1060 and aft flanges 1076, 1078 aredimensioned so that a cavity 1080 is formed between crown member 1066and skirt 1060 after assembly of the golf club head. Cavity 1080 isprovided so that in embodiments utilizing adhesive to couple crownmember 1066 to body member 1062, the adhesive may flow away from thecontact surfaces of the flanges and the skirt and toward theintersection of at flanges 1076, 1078. In other embodiments, acompressible gasket may be inserted into cavity 1080 to provide a moreforgiving it during construction. In still further embodiments, thecavity may be omitted.

FIG. 93 gives a detailed view of an alternative embodiment of skirt1060. In the embodiment, the construction of the crown member isidentical to that described above and the skirt has been modified. Inparticular, skirt 1090 includes a cavity 1092. Cavity 1092 is configuredto receive one or more inserts 1094, but may be left empty if desired.In embodiments utilizing a plurality of inserts 1094, the inserts may beprovided with different masses to alter the weight distribution, such asby adding more weight heel-ward or toe-ward. Insert 94 may beconstructed to do one or all of the following: to alter the mass ofskirt 1090, to provide damping or sound-tuning and/or to providestrength or stiffness to skirt 1090. For example, insert 94 may beconstructed from a material that has a density, stiffness, and/orstrength that is different than the material of skirt 1090 or insert1094 may be constructed from a material that has desired dampeningproperties. Insert 1094 may be constructed from metallic materials suchas aluminum, magnesium, titanium, tungsten, and alloys thereof, or itmay be constructed from non-metallic materials, such as polyurethane,tungsten loaded urethanes.

Referring now to FIGS. 94-96, another embodiment of a golf club headhaving an improved structure will be described.

FIG. 94 shows a golf club head with a ball-striking face 1102, a crown1104, a sole 1106, a skirt 1108 that extends between crown 1104 and sole1106, and a hosel 1110. In the present embodiment, crown 1104 includes amulti-material construction and includes a body member 1112, a couplingmember 1116, and a crown member 1114. Body member 1112 includes anopening in the crown that receives crown member 114.

FIG. 95 is a cross-sectional view of the club head in FIG. 94, showingassembly and construction details. Crown member 1114 is coupled to bodymember 1112 through coupling member 1116. Coupling member 1116 isincluded and constructed to simplify the manufacturing process requiredto couple crown member 1114 to body member 1112, especially when anon-metallic crown member 1114 is coupled to a metallic body member1112. For example, a composite crown member 1114 may be coupled tocoupling member 1116, such as by adhesive bonding, and excess adhesivemay be removed before the combined crown member 1114 and coupling member1116 is secured to body member 1112. As a result, excess adhesive thatwould otherwise add additional weight to the assembled golf club may beremoved. Additionally, a more difficult coupling process and/orconfiguration may be utilized to couple crown member 1114 and couplingmember 1116 when the two are separate from body member 1112, where theymay be worked on and manipulated more easily. Alternatively, couplingmember 1116 and crown member may be co-molded.

Preferably, the material of coupling member 1116 is selected to provideimproved bonding strength between it and the material of body member1112 so that the overlapping bonding surfaces can be minimized to avoidadding unnecessary mass and to improve the integrity of the joint. Forexample, when a metallic body member 1112 and a generally non-metalliccrown member 1114 are coupled, the crown member preferably includes amulti-material construction so at least the bonding portion provides amaterial high surface free energy because non-metal materials generallydo not have very high surface free energy. For example, material havinghigh surface energy, such as a metallic material like metallic mesh, maybe added to the crown member to improve the efficiency of the bond. Forexample, including titanium mesh in a portion of the crown member may beused to increase efficiency during bonding of that component to atitanium body member. Ideally, the surface free energy of the membersbeing bonded is greater than the surface tension of the bonding materialso that the bonding material wets the bonding surfaces to provide astrong bond.

Additionally, forming the bond between the components separate from theclub head body member may also be used to improve efficiency of thebonding because preparation of the bonding surfaces, post bondingprocesses and control over the fit of the components may be improved.For example, properly cleaning the bonding surfaces is important tomaintain the surface energy of the material as high as possible. Methodsof raising, and maintaining, the surface free energy of thermosetcomposites include abrasion using an abrasive material, such as anabrasive pad (e.g., Scotch-Brite pads, a registered trademark of 3MCompany, St. Paul, Minn.) or sand paper, and grit blasting, thenremoving dust and debris using solvent wipes or dry wipes. Methods formaintaining high free surface energy for metal materials include vaporor solvent degreasing, increasing the effective bonding surface area bychemical or acid etching, use of a chemical coupler surface treatmentsuch as a sol-gel process, and use of a corrosion inhibiting primer topreserve the freshly treated surface. By improving the efficiency of thebonding the overall bond width may be reduced, especially in the sidejoints. The coupling member is preferably constructed from a materialthat is the same as the body member or weldable to the body member.

FIG. 96 shows crown member 1114 coupled to coupling member 1116 with alap joint. The lap joint is created by a flange 1118 included oncoupling member 1116 and an overlapping portion of crown member 1114that is coupled thereto. For example, the two members may be coupledusing a bonding material 1120, such as by adhesive bonding, brazing, orsoldering the two components together. Where the materials of crownmember 1114 and coupling member 1116 permit welding, the bondingmaterial 1120 may be weld material.

Referring to FIGS. 97-102, alternative coupling configurations between acrown member, a coupling member and a body member will be described.

FIG. 97 illustrates a lap joint and FIG. 98 illustrates a tapered scarfjoint that may be employed. For example, in FIG. 97, a crown member 1122and a coupling member 1124 have complementary stepped flanges that arecoupled with bonding material 1120. The stepped flanges are formed by aplurality of shoulders 1126 and landings 1128 and although shoulders1126 and landings 1128 are shown perpendicular to each other, it shouldbe appreciated that they may have any angle relative to each other. Forexample, shoulders 1126 and landings 1128 may be oriented to generallyform a saw tooth pattern.

FIG. 98 illustrates another lap joint that includes an angled interfacebetween a crown member 1130 and a coupling member 1132. The angle of theinterface between the components may be selected so that a desireddistribution of shear and normal forced may be placed on bondingmaterial 1120 for a predetermined force on the components.

In other embodiments of coupling configurations, the components areconfigured so that a portion of one component is received in a portionof the other component. As a result, the components are coupled bybonding material 1120 and a mechanical connection.

FIG. 99 shows a coupling in which a portion of a crown member 1134 isinserted into a recess of a coupling member 1136 and a pair of parallelinterfaces are coupled by bonding material 1120.

FIG. 100 shows another embodiment in which a crown member 1138 includesa recess that receives a portion of a coupling member 1140. Crown member1138 and coupling member also engage at a stepped interface thatincludes a plurality of shoulders 1142 and landings 1144. Bondingmaterial 1120 is disposed at the stepped interface to securely couplethe components.

FIG. 101 shows another embodiment, in which a portion of a crown member1146 is received in a recess of a coupling member 1148 and the twocomponents engage at a pair of angled interfaces that are also heldtogether with bonding material 1120. In such embodiments, the componentsmay be coupled using thermal fitting techniques. For example, thecoupling member may be heated and/or the crown member may be cooled sothat clearance is provided between the components when the temperaturesare different, then the components may be held in place until theirtemperatures are equalized. The materials may be selected, at least inpart, by considering the required expansion based on the coefficient ofthermal expansion of the material.

FIG. 102 illustrates a strap lap joint that includes a crown member 1150that is attached to a coupling member 1152 by a pair of support members1154. In particular, end surfaces of crown member 1150 and couplingmember 1152 abut and support members 1154 are coupled across theabutment to the side surfaces of crown member 1150 and coupling member1152.

It should further be appreciated that the club head constructionincluding a coupling member to couple the body member and anothercomponent may be applied in other portions of the golf club head. Forexample, a coupling member may be used to couple a crown member (asshown), a sole member, a face member, and/or a hosel member to a bodymember of the golf club head.

The invention provides strong and lightweight coupling between members,components, or inserts in a golf club head. Using attachments at seamspreferably with flanges (e.g., for sole member 1016 in FIG. 87, crownmember 1066 in FIG. 91, or crown member 1114 in FIG. 96), the inventionprovides a mode of coupling that is extensible to body membersgenerally, including face members or inserts as well as any other insertto optimize the utility or function of a club head.

For example, attachment methods described above are provided forattaching panels, inserts, or components, for example, light weightinserts (e.g., optionally similar to sole member 1016, above, or havingany configuration).

FIG. 103 shows club head 1605 having insert 1609. Other exemplaryinserts including, for example, light-weight inserts (for example, inthe crown region) are discussed in Golf Club Head, U.S. Pat. No.7,938,740; Golf Club Head with Concave Insert, U.S. Pat. No. 7,524,249;and Golf Club Head, U.S. Pub. 2011/0272846, the contents of each ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. FIG. 103shows insert 1609 in a sole region. Insert 1609 can be anywhere on aclub head (e.g., face, skirt, crown, heel, or toe) as shown, forexample, in the above-cited patents and publications.

FIG. 104 is a cross-sectional view of the club head shown in FIG. 103.As shown in FIG. 104, insert 1609 may optionally be of a differentthickness than surrounding material of club head 1605. Insert 1609 isjoined to head 1605 at a seam, which may have any construction discussedherein (see, e.g., FIGS. 96-102). A construction seam will generallyinclude at least one flange 1601. As described here, flange 1601 isgenerally a protruding tab of material monolithically formed withsurrounding material of club head 1605 and optionally recessed somewhatinto the head so that if insert 1609 is in place, flange 1601 is notdirectly visible from the outside of the club head. However, flange 1601may also refer to the corresponding portion of insert 1609. Further, therecessed side can be on the club head, on the insert, or on a mixture ofboth.

FIG. 105 shows an embodiment in which both of insert 1609 and head 1605include an L-shaped flange (e.g., pointing into the club head) topresent a mating surface for coupling the insert into the club head. Incertain embodiments (not shown), only club head 1605 includes anL-shaped flange, and insert 1609 includes material that is as thick asthe flange, thus not needing to be L-shaped, for example, to providemore weight or due to a light weight choice of material. In certainembodiments, insert 1609 includes an L-shaped flange and club head 1605does not.

A flange or coupling seam according to the invention may be used tocouple two components (e.g., substantially similar in size, i.e.,neither one an “insert” in the other).

FIG. 106 shows a club head 1505 having a body member 1509 coupled to theclub head at an attachment perimeter that includes a flange 1501.Attachment of a body member via an attachment perimeter is discussed inGolf Club Head with Concave Insert, U.S. Pat. No. 7,658,686 and U.S.Pat. No. 7,980,964; Golf club Head with Concave Insert, U.S. Pub.2011/0275455; Golf Club Head, U.S. Pub. 2011/0053706; and Golf Club HeadU.S. Pub. 2007/0054751, the contents of each of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety. Flange 1501 can be disposedas shown in FIG. 106 or it can have any form (see, e.g., FIGS. 96-102,105) in which at least one area of material is bound to anothermaterial.

FIG. 107 shows a detail view of a club head 1605, similar to one shownin FIG. 95, including a coupling member to present flange 1601 to crownmember 1609. In various embodiments (e.g., including a coupling memberor not and in which the flange is on an insert, a body, or both, and inwhich a flange has any disposition or morphology) the invention providesoptimization to a flange for better weight and construction strength.Flanges according to the invention allow a greater variety of types(e.g., bonding ledges, lap joints, butt joints, tongue-and-groove types,saw tooth conformations) to be used in more places in a club head, forexample, by minimizing weight of flange material and increasing bondingsurface area, as well as allowing for removal of excess adhesive.

The invention generally provides a flange 1601 for binding a component1609 to a club head 1605. Flange 1601 may optionally include one or morevoid 1613 in, through, on, or near a mating surface.

FIG. 108 shows a series of substantially circular voids 1613 arrayedalong flange 1601 participating in a seam binding component 1609. A void1613 may optionally pass all the way through flange 1601.

In some embodiments, adhesive 1607 binds component 1609 to club head1605. Where void 1613 presents a recess into flange 1601, void 1613 mayfunction as a cavity (see, e.g., cavity 1080 in FIG. 92) allowingadhesive 1607 to flow away from the contact surfaces.

Where void 1613 presents a hole through flange 1601, void 1613 furtherallows an adhesive 1607 to pass through flange 1601. This allows agreater surface area of flange 1601 to contact adhesive 1607, providinga strong bond. This further allows excess adhesive 1607 to be easilyremoved, creating a clean finish line and a club head 1605 with aminimum of unnecessary excess weight. Excess adhesive can be removedfrom within club head 1605 in any manner. For example, it can be allowedto dry and globules of adhesive not substantially participating inbonding will be as pellets, capable of being shaken out through aconstruction hole or hosel. Excess adhesive can be sanded away. Ridges,protrusions, or flashings of excess adhesive can be broken off bysonication, a tool, chemical treatment, or other means known in the art.In certain embodiments, a solvent such as turpentine or acetone isintroduced into club head 1605 and swirled around to remove excessadhesive and then washed out of club head 1605.

Flange 1601 can include a single void 1613 into the surface or throughit. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of voids 1613 are providedthrough flange 1601 arrayed in a perforation-like pattern. A pattern ofvoids 1613 can be described with reference to a number of features. Aplurality of voids can be described with reference to an averageaperture area A of opening (e.g., where voids 1613 are round with aradius r, an individual aperture area Ai can be given by πr2). An areaincluding a pattern of voids 1613 can be described with reference to aratio S of void space to total area. A void 1613 can be described withreference to a geometric shape of a perimeter of void 1613. An aperturearea of voids 1613 can be described with reference to a patterndescribing the arrangement of voids 1613. A flange 1601 with voids canbe described in terms of a number N of voids per cm in a lineardirection along an attachment perimeter of component 1609 (e.g., N canbe between about 10 and about 5000 or between about 0.1 and about 9).

FIGS. 108-113 each show a flange 1601 including an area of voids 1613according to certain embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 108,voids 1613 may be generally substantially circular and arrayed in alinear repeating pattern. An average aperture area A of voids 1613 maygenerally be between about 0.5 mm² and about 5 cm². A ratio S of voidspace to total area of flange 1601 may generally be between about 0.001and 0.9, preferably between about 0.01 and about 0.9, preferably betweenabout 0.1 and about 0.75 (e.g., between about 0.2 and about 0.5). Voids1613 may be divots in a surface of flange 1601 or holes through flange1601.

FIG. 109 shows a pattern of voids 1613 presenting holes through flange1601. As shown in FIG. 109, voids 1613 can be arrayed in an offset, orzigzag, pattern. Voids 1613 may be arrayed in a precise geometricalpattern, or with an irregular spacing or irregular offset. As shown inFIG. 109, a ratio S of void space to total area of flange 1601 maygenerally between about 0.1 and about 0.5, e.g., between about 0.3 andabout 0.4. A perimeter of a void 1613 may be circular or substantiallycircular, as well as optionally oval, elliptical, ovoid, or oblong. Aperimeter may be hexagonal, triangular, star shaped (e.g., if punchedout by a punch tool) and need not be flush or planar with a surroundingarea of flange 1601. For example, if a void 1613 is made by punchingwith a punch tool, a perimeter may be a rough edge including a series ofpoints furled back in a direction of a punch.

FIG. 110 shows a pin-hole pattern of voids 1613. Pin-hole voids may bearrayed in any density (e.g., tight cluster making a screen-like flange,or spaced apart). For example, a ratio S may be above about 0.5 (tightcluster or mesh) or lower (substantially solid flange). For pin-holevoids, an average aperture area A of voids 613 may generally be lessthan about 0.5 mm² (e.g., between about 0.001 mm² and about 0.1 mm²). Apattern of pinhole voids 1613 may be square grid, rectangular grid,diamond grid, triangular grid, hexagonal grid, or irregular. In certainembodiments, pinhole voids 1613 are arrayed in a pattern to represent animage or text (i.e., a brand or logo is “written” on the flange inpinhole voids).

FIG. 111 illustrates a flange 1601 have an irregular array of irregularshaped voids 1613. With irregular voids 1613, any average aperture areaA or ratio S is possible. For example, an average aperture area A can bebetween about 0.1 mm² and about 5 mm² or between about 5 mm². and about3 cm². Irregular voids provide a ratio S that can be anything, forexample, between about 0.001 and about 0.95.

FIG. 112 shows a flange 1601 having voids 1613 generally having asubstantially rectangular perimeter and arrayed in a regular, repeatingpattern.

FIG. 113 shows a flange 1701 according to certain embodiments of theinvention. As shown in FIG. 113, flange 1701 may be part of an area ofmaterial 1705 in a club head. Flange 1701 may generally have a honeycombstructure with substantially hexagonal voids 1713.

FIG. 114 is a reproduction of the drawing in FIG. 113 with idealizedbounding lines extending around the honeycomb structure to helpvisualize a three-dimensional shape of flange 1701. The honeycombstructure is not drawn or shown extending for the entire length ofmaterial 1705. The honeycomb structure may optionally extend for aportion of, or an entirety of, flange 1701 and may also extend anyamount into surrounding material 1705.

A honeycomb structure or any of the embodiments described hereinincluding one or more void in a flange can be made by any method knownin the art. For example, material can be etched away from metal by laseretching. Material can be formed by laser metal sintering. Makingcomponents via laser metal sintering is discussed in Method of MakingGolf Clubs, U.S. Pat. No. 8,007,373 and Method of Making Golf Clubs,U.S. Pub. 2011/0277313, both herein incorporated by reference in theirentirety. Methods of making components are discussed in Golf Club Head,U.S. Pat. No. 7,803,065; Method of Making Golf clubs, U.S. Pub.2011/0277313; Golf Club Head with Multi-Component Construction, U.S.Pub. 2011/0152003; Method of Making Golf clubs, U.S. Pub. 2010/0298065;Golf Club Heads, U.S. Pub. 2011/0151989; Club head with ImprovedInertia, U.S. Pub. 2010/0056297; and Metal Wood Golf Club Head, U.S.Pub. 2008/0227564, the contents of each of which are incorporated byreference in their entirety.

An advantage of the invention includes the improvement to surface area,weight, joint strength, and appearance of coupled components when one ormore void is provided on a mating surface or flange. For example, wherea coupling seam is required in an area of a club head where weight isdesired to be minimized (e.g., in a crown, above a center of gravity),voids can be provided. Voids do not need to be spaced evenly along aflange. For example, where a coupling seam extends across a crown andinto a heel area and a toe area, a flange of the coupling seam mayinclude more voids, or voids having a higher average aperture area A, ora higher ratio S near the crown, and a gradual or abrupt transition tominimum or no voids near a heel toe region.

Voids in a flange may be provided in a variety of sizes or shapes (e.g.,intermingled). For example, large voids can be provided side-by-sidewith pinhole voids or any intermediate sized void. Where a flangecomprises a curved surface (e.g., a portion of a spheroid surface),voids can be arrayed, for example, as a combination of hexagons andpentagons (i.e., soccer-ball structure or geodesic dome structure) togive a substantially regular geometry over a flange surface. Such acombination of voids may be employed when honeycomb structure (as shownin FIG. 113) is included on a flange having a substantially curvedsurface area.

FIG. 115A is a side view of a club head according to certain embodimentsof the invention. FIG. 115B is a cross-sectional view of the club headshown in FIG. 115A. As shown in FIG. 115B, flange 1601 may be includedon component 1609. As shown in FIG. 115A, component 1609 extends from asole of club head 1605 to a skirt of club head 1605. Flange 1601 mayinclude voids in the form of perforations (e.g., array of substantiallycircular voids), pinhole perforations, honeycomb structure, or regularor irregular divots or holes according to any description herein. Voidsmay be: on flange 1601 on component 1609 as shown in FIG. 115B; onflange 1601 on club head 1605 as shown in FIG. 104; on both; on eitheror both of L-shaped flanges as shown in FIG. 105; or on any other matingsurface morphology of the present invention, for example, as shownherein throughout. Any coupling member, flange, attachment perimeter,joint, or other mating morphology, for example, as shown at least inFIGS. 96-102, may include one or more voids 1613 according todescriptions herein or natural equivalents thereof.

For example, in certain aspects, the invention provides golf club headthat includes a crown, a sole, and a face defining a body, in which thebody includes at least one insert component 1609 connected to the bodyat an attachment perimeter. The attachment perimeter includes a flange1601, and the flange includes one or a plurality of a void 1613, eachforming a hole in a surface of the flange. The hole can go through thesurface of the flange. Flange 1601 may be on the body and configured tobe concealed from the outside of an assembled club head by the insertcomponent, or it may be on the component. The insert component 1609 maybe anywhere on the club head. Typically, lightweight inserts may befavored for the crown. Sole inserts may include any distribution ofweight or topologies according to a club designer. The flange can beL-shaped. In some embodiments, the holes are pinpoint holes with averageaperture area between about 0.01 mm² and about 1 mm², or they may have aratio of aperture space to total surface area between about 0.1 andabout 0.75. In some embodiments, the plurality of holes are disposed tobe visible from the exterior of an assembled club head.

In certain aspects, the invention provides a component 1609 for a golfclub head including material shaped to matingly couple to anothercomponent to form a body of a club head and comprising a flange 1601,wherein the flange comprises at least one hole through it.

Voids according to the invention offer particular benefits foroptimizing the performance of adhesives (such as epoxy, resins, productssuch as Scotch-Weld brand adhesive DP807 from 3M Company (St. Paul,Minn.)) and other bonding substances. For example, voids present agreater surface area for adhesives to contact and, more particularly,can be configured to offer a greater surface area with a lower totalvolume of material than other assembly mechanisms. By increasing surfacearea while minimizing volume, bonding strength can be increased while amass of a bond can be minimized, thereby giving a club head designermore discretionary mass to place elsewhere.

Voids 1613 allow excess adhesive to flow away from mating surfaces,thereby giving assembled golf clubs stronger bonds as well as a moreprecise it among parts, creating a more attractive appearance andaerodynamic outside surface. A better fit among parts creates club headswith more consistent playing characteristics and makes club headsub-assemblies during manufacturing more consistently compatible withdownstream equipment (e.g., finishing stations for adding morecomponents or laser etchings) in assembly work flows.

Voids 1613 further allow novel visual features that aid a golfer inrecognizing a particular model of club or understanding a physicalaspect of a club. For example, in some embodiments, a flange 1601 on anoutside surface of a club includes one or more void 1613. Void 1613 maybe partially or entirely filled adhesive. A part of void 1613 mayoptionally be filled with another material (e.g., urethane, water clearpolyethylene or opaque materials, polycarbonate, acrylic, poly(methylmethacrylate), polystyrene, or polydimethylsiloxane). Any such materialmay be included in its default color, may be painted or colored on asurface, or may be impregnated with pigments or made translucent. Forexample, in some embodiments a flange includes voids to optimize aperformance of adhesive, in which the voids are on an outside surface ofthe club and further filled to the surface with a translucent (or opaqueor transparent) material, thereby allowing a golfer to understand why orhow the club may exhibit certain playing properties or mass properties.

The disclosure herein includes description and discussion of methods andmechanism for assembling components such as inserts, sole plates, crownplates, and components of club heads, and bodies, to one another. Theinvention includes the insight that one or more of any of any mechanismof the invention, any component of the invention, or any feature of theinvention can be combined in any number and in any combination. Forexample, any given flange arrangement and any given fastening mechanismmay be combined—even if not shown together in a figure of the presentdisclosure—to provide a multi-component club head or club head withseparable component or insert. Thus a club head of the present inventionmay include, for example, barbed posts designed to be broken off toremove a component as well as magnets for fastening components together.

It is an insight of the invention that a number of aspects of a clubhead can be uniquely selected with a variety of options and that this iswell suited to customizing club heads to a customer's desires. It is arelated insight that computer device technology provides a valuable toolfor managing the complexity of manufacturing where customized orders areincluded. Accordingly, the invention provides systems and methods forproviding a customized club head.

Providing a customized head can include offering options for one or morefeatures that are available with a club head and receiving a selectionfrom a consumer of an option.

FIG. 116 depicts a display that can be used to receive a consumer'sselection of one or more options for a club head. As shown in FIG. 116,a consumer could be given a display (e.g., in a web browser as presentedvia a graphical user interface (GUI)) that includes elements such aspull-down menus for choosing options. Any method of offering options andreceiving selections is included, such as, for example, point-and-clickselection, keyboard entry, radio buttons, and confirmation of suggestedoptions. A selection of an option can include selecting a given optionfrom a set of possibilities and it can also include selecting whether ornot to include a certain feature at all. For example, a consumer can beoffered whether or not they would like a removable crown panel on theirclub head and, if they choose so, they can then be offered a list.Options can be offered and selections received for any aspect of a clubhead including all of those discussed herein. As indicated in FIG. 116,a consumer could choose a material for a crown panel and suitablechoices could include, for example, clear plastic, translucent plastic,composite, carbon fiber, titanium, aluminum, alloy.

A customer could be offered choices of bodies and body materials.Choices of certain bodies may govern the availability of certain otherchoices. For example, some bodies may have a forward member forsupporting a strike face and a body skirt member upon which a crownpanel and sole plate are to be installed. Where a customer chooses sucha body, they may then be offered a choice of sole plate (e.g., withchoice of style, material, color, etc.).

Other features a customer could choose options for include overallfinish of surface (e.g., anodized, painted, decal set), strike face,removable/ interchangeable weight members, reconfigurable shaft, settingindicator window, customer-uploaded photo printed on surface (e.g., asuploaded digitally), number of club heads (e.g., customer orders entireset or matching clubs/sets for whole families), etc.

FIG. 116 generally shows an exemplary display as could be shown on ascreen, for example, of a computer or smartphone, discussed in moredetail below. In certain embodiments, FIG. 116 represents a displayrendered in a web browser (e.g., a web page being displayed by InternetExplorer or Google Chrome).

As shown in FIG. 116, receiving customer options can be done via aseries of related screens. For example, a customer can choose materialsfor parts in a first screen, choose optional accessories in anotherscreen, and save their choices and pick colors in another screen.However, in other embodiments, all choices are made on a single screenor a different combination of screens. In certain embodiments, choicesare suggested based on inferences made according to computer programrules about a customer's likely preference. For example, if a customerorders a shaft in a given color (e.g., orange), a club head can be shownand suggested with a given matching or complementary color (e.g., orangemain material with blue contrast finish details, or all green panels).

Given the variety of options a customer may choose and the variety ofnumbers a customer may order, the invention provides methods ofreceiving and preparing customized orders.

FIG. 117 gives a high-level block diagram of steps of a method ofproviding a customized club head according to certain embodiments of theinvention. A method of providing a customized club head according tocertain embodiments of the invention can include receiving a customer'schoice of a product (e.g., AMP-product line driver club head) andshowing the customer a product example (e.g., FIG. 116). A customer'sselections of an option are received and saved in a memory. If theselection reflects a change from what was previously shown, thedisplayed product view can be updated to show what the customer haschosen. This can be repeated for as many features as are customizable oras many features as the customer chooses to select options for.

If the customer ends up not placing an order, they can be returned tobrowsing (e.g., shown a web page home screen or another product screen).Their choices can be saved and displayed to them at a later web pagevisit.

If the customer places an order, methods of the invention includecapturing information from the customer about how they will pay for theproduct and how they will receive it. For example, a customer canprovide a credit card number over a computer network (e.g., by typinginto a payment web page), and then choose shipping by expedited mail andprovide their home address. Or, alternatively, a customer can indicatethat they wish to use a corporate account (e.g., they are purchasing adozen club heads that are printed with a corporate logo which they haveuploaded an image file such as a TIFF) and they can specify delivery tosome site. A customer can also choose in-store pickup. In certainembodiments, a method of providing a customized club head is operable inconjunction with a special event, and methods include capturing deliveryinformation about providing the club heads at the special event. Forexample, if Acme Golf Co is sponsoring and staffing a booth at CorporateInc.'s charity fund-raiser, Acme Golf Co can collect information from aperson at Corporate Inc. about a customized golf club (e.g., as apromotional item or prize) via methods of the invention, and Acme GolfCo can bring the golf club to the booth at the charity fund-raiser.

After delivery information is captured, it is determined whether theordered item is already in stock, as-ordered. If it is, the ordered itemis shipped or prepared for delivery according to the customer's deliveryinformation. If the ordered item is not in stock, the order is batched.

Methods of the invention include organizing sets of orders for efficientproduction. A computer program, executed by a processor, can makereference to information about production facilities to organize aplurality of different orders and to coordinate production instructionsso that production facilities include minimal down-time while componentsor parts are “switched out”. For example, if regular production isscheduled for ten gross of aluminum club head bodies and ten gross oftitanium club head bodies, and customized orders have been placed forone composite body, one aluminum body, one titanium body, and one alloybody, then order batching can include listing the order, for example, inthe following order: 1441 aluminum; 1441 titanium; 1 composite; 1 alloy.

Order batching further includes scheduling production of individualbatches, where a batch is a sub-set of all orders identified by acomputer executing program instructions according to productioncriteria. Batches may be scheduled according to information aboutproduction times, steps, complexity, or interrelationships involved. Forexample, if a repositionable shaft connection is required to be added toa club head at an assembly workstation where a main body of a club headis painted, while a sole plate is added to a club head at a dedicatedseparate workstation and can only be added after a main body is painted,then a batch can be prepared that is all club heads with repositionableshaft connections batched with all club heads to be painted, while aseparate batch is prepared that includes all club heads with a soleplate. Then, the second batch can be routed to the main assembly workstation first, for example, to leave additional time for adding therepositionable shaft connection to that batch while the other batch isat the main assembly workstation so that the entire set of batches iscompleted at the same time.

After order batching, order information (e.g., info regarding batches,production schedules, and individual orders of club heads) istransmitted to a production system or facility, and the ordered clubheads are produced.

After production, the club heads are sent. If a customer has ordered aclub to be shipped to their home, the club is sent to the customer. If acustomer has requested in-store pickup, the club is sent to the store.If a customer has requested another delivery option, it is so initiated.

The invention provides systems suitable for implementing methods ofproviding a customized golf club including the foregoing methods.

FIG. 118 shows components in an exemplary system for providing acustomized golf club. As shown in FIG. 118, system 200 generallyincludes one or more computer, communicably coupled via network 215.Systems and methods of the invention may generally be implementedthrough the use of one or more computer such as any combination of aprovider computer 281, a production computer 261, and a consumercomputer 201 along with, for example, a sales server 241 and aproduction server 221. A computer generally includes a processor (e.g.,209, 289, 269, 249, 229) operably coupled to a memory (e.g., 207, 287,267, 247, 227) and configured to send or receive information viainput-output device (e.g., 205, 285, 265, 245, 225).

One of skill in the art will recognize that a processor may be providedby one or more processors including, for example, one or more of asingle core or multi-core processor (e.g., AMD Phenom II X2, Intel CoreDuo, AMD Phenom II X4, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i& Extreme Edition980X, or Intel Xeon E7-2820). In certain embodiments, any of consumercomputer 201, provider computer 281, production computer 261 may be anotebook or desktop computer sold by Apple (Cupertino, Calif.) or adesktop, laptop, or similar PC-compatible computer such as a DellLatitude E6520 PC laptop available from Dell Inc. (Round Rock, Tex.).Such a computer will typically include a suitable operating system suchas, for example, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows XP, all from Microsoft(Redmond, Wash.), OS X from Apple (Cupertino, Calif.), or Ubuntu Linuxfrom Canonical Group Limited (London, UK). In some embodiments, any ofconsumer computer 201, provider computer 281, production computer 261may be a tablet or smart-phone form factor device and processor 281 canbe provided by, for example, an ARM- based system-on-a-chip (SoC)processor such as the 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos SoC processor fromSamsung Electronics, (Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea).

In some embodiments, either of sales server 241 or production server 221can be a Hitachi Compute Blade 500 computer device sold by Hitachi DataSystems (Santa Clara, Calif.). Either of processor 249 or processor 229can be, for example, a E5-2600 processor sold under the trademark Xeonby Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, Calif.).

Input-output devices generally includes one or a combination of monitor,keyboard, mouse, data jack (e.g., Ethernet port, modem jack, HDMI port,mini-HDMI port, USB port), Wi-Fi card, touchscreen (e.g., CRT, LCD, LED,AMOLED, Super AMOLED), pointing device, trackpad, microphone, speaker,light (e.g., LED), or light/image projection device.

In certain embodiments, a consumer's selection of options is receivedvia the consumer's use of consumer computer 201 and the selection isreceived at sales server 241 and stored in memory 247. Sales server 241uses a network card for input/output 245 to received data. Sales server241 maintains order database 243 which may include accounts 244 whereconsumer information is stored (e.g., for payment and deliveryinformation).

After orders are received and ready for production, digital files can betransferred via input/output 245 from sales server 241 to productionserver 221 via input/output 225, which may also be a network card orother data transfer mechanism. Order information (e.g., orders 239) isstored in production database 235 in memory 227. Processor 229 executescomputer program instructions stored in memory 229 to perform orderbatching and to initiate production.

A production facility may be equipped with a production computer 261which either automatically coordinates the operation of machines orprovides information to production employees, e.g., via input/output265, which could include, for example, a monitor or laser printer.

Many of the steps and functions described herein can be planned orcoordinated by a provider personnel using provider computer 281. Forexample, engineers or sales personnel can prepare and upload information(e.g., digital files such as in a comma-separated values (CSV) format)that, for example, lists options for features for consumer selection.That is, in certain embodiments, provider personnel use providercomputer 281 to “set up” what options are available, for example, withina display such as the one shown in FIG. 116. Such uploaded informationmay be saved in memory 247 on sales server 241 and can be used, forexample, by processor 249 to cause a display to be rendered such as thatshown in FIG. {44 on input/output 205 on consumer computer 201.Input/output 205 can include a monitor displaying a view of a webbrowser. A customer's selection of options can be stored in one ofaccounts 244 in order database 243 by writing a file in memory 247.

A memory generally refers to one or more storage devices for storingdata or carrying information, e.g., semiconductor, magnetic,magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carriers for amemory suitable for embodying computer program instructions and datainclude any suitable form of memory that is tangible, non-transitory,non-volatile, or a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, a deviceof the invention includes a tangible, non-transitory computer readablemedium for memory. Exemplary devices for use as memory includesemiconductor memory devices, (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, solid state drive(SSD), and flash memory devices e.g., SD, micro SD, SDXC, SDIO, SDHCcards); magnetic disks, (e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks);magneto-optical disks; and optical disks (e.g., CD and DVD disks). Theprocessor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in,special purpose logic circuitry.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computingsystem that includes a back-end component (e.g., sales server 241 orproduction server 221), a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver or sales sever 241), or a front-end component (e.g., consumercomputer 201 having a graphical user interface or a web browser throughwhich a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matterdescribed herein), or any combination of such back-end, middleware, andfront-end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedthrough network 215 by any form or medium of digital data communication,e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networksinclude cell network (e.g., 3G or 4G), a local area network (LAN), and awide area network (WAN), e.g., the Internet.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented as one or morecomputer program products, such as one or more computer programstangibly embodied in an information carrier (e.g., in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium) for execution by, or to control the operationof, data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, acomputer, or multiple computers). A computer program (also known as aprogram, software, software application, app, macro, or code) can bewritten in any form of programming language, including compiled orinterpreted languages (e.g., C, C++, Perl), and it can be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.Systems and methods of the invention can include instructions written inany suitable programming language known in the art, including, withoutlimitation, C, C++, Perl, Java, ActiveX, HTML5, Python, Ruby on Rails,Visual Basic, or JavaScript. In certain embodiments, systems and methodsof the invention are implemented through the use of a mobile app. Asused herein, mobile app generally refers to a standalone program capableof being installed or run on a smartphone platform such as Android, iOS,Blackberry OS, Windows 8, Windows Mobile, etc.

Functionality of the invention can be implemented by a mobile app or asoftware application or computer program in other formats includedscripts, shell scripts, and functional modules created in developmentenvironments.

A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file. A programcan be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data,in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiplecoordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork.

A file can be a digital file, for example, stored on a hard drive, SSD,CD, or other tangible, non-transitory medium. A file can be sent fromone device to another over network 215 (e.g., as packets being sentbetween a server and a client, for example, through a Network InterfaceCard, modem, wireless card, or similar).

Writing a file according to the invention involves transforming atangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, for example, byadding, removing, or rearranging particles (e.g., with a net charge ordipole moment into patterns of magnetization by read/write heads), thepatterns then representing new collocations of information aboutobjective physical phenomena desired by, and useful to, the user (e.g.,a physical arrangement of particles that indicates that a specific, newclub head is to be constructed from a certain set of multiple componentsand sent to a customer). In some embodiments, writing involves aphysical transformation of material in tangible, non-transitory computerreadable media (e.g., with certain optical properties so that opticalread/write devices can then read the new and useful collocation ofinformation, e.g., burning a CD-ROM). In some embodiments, writing afile includes transforming a physical flash memory apparatus such asNAND flash memory device and storing information by transformingphysical elements in an array of memory cells made from floating-gatetransistors. Methods of writing a file can be invoked manually orautomatically by a program or by a save command from software or a writecommand from a programming language.

As used herein, the word “or” means “and or or”, sometimes seen orreferred to as “and/or”, unless indicated otherwise. Any documentsreferenced in the disclosure are hereby incorporated herein by referencein their entirety for all purposes.

Although these inventions have been disclosed in the context of certainpreferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond thespecifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodimentsand/or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalentsthereof. In addition, while several variations of the inventions havebeen shown and described in detail, other modifications, which arewithin the scope of these inventions, will be readily apparent to thoseof skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplatedthat various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific featuresand aspects of the embodiments can be made and still fall within thescope of the inventions. It should be understood that various featuresand aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with orsubstituted for one another in order to form varying modes of thedisclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at leastsome of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited bythe particular disclosed embodiments described above.

References and citations to other documents, such as patents, patentapplications, patent publications, journals, books, papers, webcontents, have been made throughout this disclosure. All such documentsare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for allpurposes.

1-21. (canceled)
 22. A hollow, wood-type golf club head comprising: afirst body member and a second body member releasably coupleable to thefirst body member at a coupling seam to create a playable clubcomprising: a hollow body having a ball-striking face; a crown extendingaft from the face; a hosel extending upwards from a heel side of thebody when the club head is at address; and a sole extending aft from theface beneath the crown, wherein the coupling seam comprises a wavy lineportion.
 23. The club head of claim 22, wherein the second body membercomprises a majority of the crown.
 24. The club head of claim 23,wherein the first body member comprises the face, the hosel, and atleast a portion of the sole.
 25. The club head of claim 24, wherein thefirst body member comprises a majority of the sole.
 26. The club head ofclaim 22, wherein the coupling seam intersects the assembled club headthrough the crown and the sole.
 27. The club head of claim 26, whereinthe coupling seam is substantially within a plane that is substantiallyvertical when the club head is at address.
 28. A hollow, wood-type golfclub head comprising: a first body member and a second body memberreleasably coupleable to the first body member at a coupling seam tocreate a playable club comprising: a hollow body having a ball-strikingface; a crown extending aft from the face; a hosel extending upwardsfrom a heel side of the body when the club head is at address; and asole extending aft from the face beneath the crown, wherein the couplingseam comprises a wavy line portion comprising three inflection pointsconnected by an arc.
 29. The club head of claim 28, wherein the firstbody member comprises the face, the hosel, and at least a portion of thesole.
 30. The club head of claim 28, wherein the coupling seamintersects the assembled club head through the crown and the sole. 31.The club head of claim 30, wherein the coupling seam is substantiallywithin a plane that is substantially vertical when the club head is ataddress.
 32. A set of golf clubs comprising a plurality of hollow, woodtype golf club heads wherein each of the plurality of club headscomprises: a first body member and a second body member releasablycoupleable to the first body member at a coupling seam to create aplayable club comprising: a hollow body having a ball-striking face; acrown extending aft from the face; a hosel extending upwards from a heelside of the body when the club head is at address; and a sole extendingaft from the face beneath the crown, wherein the coupling seam comprisesa distinct wavy line pattern for each of the plurality of club heads.33. The set of golf clubs of claim 32, wherein the second body membercomprises a majority of the crown.
 34. The set of golf clubs of claim33, wherein the first body member comprises the face, the hosel, and atleast a portion of the sole.
 35. The set of golf clubs of claim 34,wherein the first body member comprises a majority of the sole.
 36. Theset of golf clubs of claim 32, wherein the coupling seam intersects theassembled club head through the crown and the sole.
 37. The set of golfclubs of claim 36, wherein the coupling seam is substantially within aplane that is substantially vertical when the club head is at address.39. The set of golf clubs of claim 32, wherein the coupling seamcomprises a wavy line portion disposed on the crown.
 40. The set of golfclubs of claim 32, wherein the distinct wavy line pattern for each ofthe plurality of club heads comprises three inflection points connectedby an arc